Joy Star: The Final Days
by The Terror of Dimensions
Summary: Prince Joy Star has been targeted by an old enemy, who seeks to destroy him once and for all. Thankfully, Joy doesn't stand alone. TD, a Chaotic entity from an alternate Equestria, along with his friends and family, believes that this enemy is familiar to him, and vows to protect Joy from harm. No matter the cost. [A collab story between me and Admirer Boy.]
1. Chapter 1

**Decided to try an entire story series with Joy Star, because he may be more tied to TD's enemy than we thought.**

 _ **Admirer**_ ** _Boy_ decided to have Joy in first-person for this one. It was an interesting twist on story making. I actually liked it.**

 **Note: This is an AU from TD's original involvement with Joy Star.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Today was a rather fine day... well almost fine day. As for me, I had so many plans to work on for today. I had to practice my magic skills, as well as going on a field trip with young foals. And after that, I'd have much time to spend with my favorite cousin Cadence. She looked so delightful these days, as she was soon going to be with her knight in shining armor... well... Shining Armor. I was so much happy for her. As for me and my fiancée, we were helping my cousin in preparations for marriage. Bubble was pretty excited herself. Sometime after her... certain situation, she was feeling pretty well. But for some reason, she was still feeling slightly upset when we were coming back to the palace after buying some gifts for my cousin.

"Bubble?" I asked.

"Yes my dear?" She replied.

"Are you feeling... okay?" I asked her.

"Mmmhmm... I'm fine but..."

"What is it?" I insisted "Is it something about your...?"

"No, no..." She giggled "It's not about that. I was just worried that every time when we're so happy, something is bound to go wrong someway."

"Don't worry Bubs. My gut says everything will be fine." I nuzzled her mane. "After all, what can go wrong in simple royal marriage?"

Suddenly, a howl was heard in the distance, one which was vaguely familiar to us both. At the same time, I heard a voice in my head.

"Joy Star..."

 _Uh oh,_ I thought. That howling and that voice in my head could be only from one creature: that Windago which I fought a few weeks ago. I replied to the voice.

"Yes! What do you want now?"

"I didn't say anything." Bubble said in surprise "Why you being mad at me?"

"No, not you my sweetheart. I was talking to that voice."

"What voice?" Bubble's eyes widened with worry, "I'm having a really bad feeling about this."

Just then, the Windago I was thinking about dropped down in front of us. How he was here at all was unclear to me, but I also noticed that he wasn't trying to attack us. On the contrary, he was trying to let us know that he wasn't hostile. Bubble instantly got scared at the sight of him and her horn started to glow. I looked towards her and told her, "Don't worry Bubs. He's not here to fight us." It was a little to her relief. I looked towards the ice-spirit.

"Why are you here?" I demanded, "Don't you know you and your friends has caused much trouble?!" I said in a bit of anger, "If my mother found out, she'd vaporize you for sure! So, go now?"

The Windago just shook its head and the voice returned to my head.

"Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn't do that without warning you of what's coming."

"Then tell me what it is then," I said while Bubble was still watching the Windago with a suspicious look on her face. The Windago neighed a bit before continuing.

"Your enemy, the one who gave me the helmet... he's coming for you, Joy Star. You and all your friends and family. But he's not alone. He had help from the one who helped Discord deflect your spell."

 _That's not good. Not good at all._ I thought as I realized my gut was wrong after all.

"Thanks for the warning my friend," I was only able to say, "Now go and hide before guards arrive here."

"Too late," the Windago replied. No sooner had he spoken than an entire squad of guards approached us. Forming a quick defensive circle around me and Bubble, they pointed their spears or horns at the Windago.

"Your Highness!" one shouted to me, "Stay back! This thing is dangerous!"

The Windago neighed in protest and was trying to calm the guards down, but it wasn't working. I guess I was the only one who could understand him.

"Guards!" I shouted as a few of them looked towards me, "Trust me, he's not dangerous at all."

They gave me a look of disbelief, so I added, "Otherwise he'd have attacked by now."

"Still we can't take any risks!" A unicorn guard spoke up, "Capture him."

As he said this, the other guards' horns started to glow and they captured the Windago in a forcefield bubble. I was unable to help him now. I'd have to talk with mother and aunt Luna. Something bad was about to happen. I don't know what made me more mad; not being able to help a friendly Windago or the fact that my family and friends were in danger once again. I wished that to never happen. I was feeling really upset and really sad.

 _Tell me it's not happening on my cousin's marriage._ I thought.

"Fine, take him back to palace," Another guard spoke up, "And keep Prince Joy and Lady Bubble in cover."

The Windago suddenly got thoughtful and looked to me.

"TD!" he shouted in my head, "Call him! He can help!"

But he wasn't able to say much else before he was taken away by the guards.

"Yes! Maybe TD can help," I said to myself "Let's go back to palace."

With this, Bubble and I along with the guards headed back towards the palace where I'd left that stone.

 _I don't like this. I'm feeling bad for Caddie. That's just not fair._

* * *

**TD's POV**

TD looked out at the night sky of Equestria as he thought about the most recent happenings in his world. With the recent adoption of Tracker and the upcoming graduation of Chuck's son, Sterling, he almost felt like the world was moving along too fast to register himself. TD sighed, but not unhappily. Life was strange sometimes, but since when did that stop him from doing what he liked best?

Just then, TD heard the sound of hoofsteps behind him and he smiled. Even if he hadn't seen her yet, he knew exactly who it was.

"William?" Twilight asked, a bit of fatigue in her voice, "Is everything alright?"

TD turned around to look at his wife. In the night air, her eyes seemed to sparkle and he could've sworn there were miniature stars in her eyes.

"Everything is fine Twilight," TD said kindly, "Just thinking. Plus, those visions woke me up again."

Twilight nodded and trotted up beside him. Even though she had grown significantly taller over the years, she was still around half her husband's height while on four legs. She smiled up at him and nuzzled against him affectionately. TD smiled and got down on his knees to meet her level, pulling her into a loving embrace.

"I know I've probably said this before," he whispered, "But I'm glad that we're together."

"I am too," she replied. She looked into his eyes, noticing that they had reverted into his draconic eyes, telling her that all three of his personalities were together for this moment. She nuzzled up against him again as one of his hands gently started stroking her mane.

Unfortunately, that's also around the time that the message came. A loud "RING!" was heard and TD pulled away in confusion.

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"I'm not sure," TD said, pulling a phone out of nowhere. He lifted it to his ear and said, "This is the Terror of Dimensions, but you can call me TD. Who is this? Joy Star?! Needs help? I'll be right there."

TD put away the phone and looked to Twilight.

"I'm not even gonna ask if you want to come with me, because I already know the answer," TD said bluntly with a smile. Twilight simply hung onto him tightly as he concentrated on the jump needed to reach Joy's universe...

* * *

**Joy's POV**

I reached to palace and quickly went towards throne room. Mother was really worried about me and she wanted to have a talk.

"My Joy! Are you alright, my dear son?" She hugged me as she said this.

"I'm alright mom," I said as I returned the hug, "I've got to tell you something, but first can I go to my room?"

She was a little surprise at what I said and released me unwillingly.

"Joy, you look upset. What's the matter my dear colt?"

I was really upset by now, but was trying to remain calm. "I'll tell you later mom."

I rushed towards my room, Bubble trotting behind me. She could see that there were tears in my eyes. I went towards my drawer and pulled out that stone.

"TD," I said, "I n... need your help."

Bubble also felt really upset and took a deep sigh. She hugged me and started sobbing as well.

"My sweetie, I never wanted to be proved wrong that badly."

Just then, I heard a loud noise from the throne room and a familiar voice call out.

"I said, 'near her'! Not 'on her'! You okay, Celestia? Sorry about that."

"Next time, I'm doing the teleportation," another voice replied. I recognized that voice. It was Twilight's, but there was something about it that was...different. Which meant that the other one was...

I quickly rushed towards the throne room. And my guess was right: TD and his Twilight had arrived. I saw my mother getting up from the floor rubbing her head.

"I see, so you were inviting your friend to Cadenza's Wedding," Celestia said with a giggle, "But why were you worried so much? I would not have denied it if you'd asked me."

"No, actually mom, it's about something else." I took a deep sigh.

"Yeah, usually when people call me, it means there's trouble. Or they want me to cause trouble. And I seriously doubt it's the last one. So, what's wrong Joy?" the other human asked me. It was still a bit for me to take in that TD was of my own kind, not to mention his unorthodox magic. But he was a good person on the whole, even if he was a bit crazy-

"For the record, Narrator Joy, I'm not crazy," TD said aloud. Celestia gave him a confused look, while Princess Twilight simply rolled her eyes as if this was a daily occurrence.

"Never mind," I said "You remember that Windago with the helmet?" TD nodded as mother gave me a confused look. I took a deep sigh before telling him all about the warning about the arrival of my 'enemy' along with an ally. Mother, and Bubble gasped at this. The smile on mother's face disappeared. I felt so bad for this. I came near to her and just hugged her.

"I'm sorry mom," I said, "It's all because of... me."  
She just gave me a look of disbelief with wide open sorrowful eyes.

"It's not your fault my son."

Bubble was also very upset at this. For some reason she was giving TD a look of anger.

"What did I do?" he asked her, "It's not like I plan these things. But if I may ask, where's the Windago now?"

Just then, some guards came into the room with the Windago trapped in its magic prison.

"Guess that answers my question," TD muttered. He then spoke to the guards, but when he did his voice seemed to shake the room like thunder.

"PUT THE WINDAGO DOWN," his voice boomed. The guards did as they were told, though they seemed confused as to why they had compiled. TD then looked to Celestia and shrugged.

"Command spell," he said bluntly, "I should show you sometime."

Bubble huffed and came towards where I was standing with mother. She placed her gentle hoof on my chest and and spoke, "It's not fault at all." Her eyes were wet with tears, "So don't blame yourself for this."

I placed my hand over her hoof and wiped her tears "Don't cry like this my dear Bubble."

I didn't want to see her cry and I swore when me and that said enemy would be face to face, I'd make him cry really, really hard. Meanwhile TD step forward towards the Windago.

"Can you understand me?" TD asked. The Windago nodded its head.

"Can you speak? To others?"

The Windago shook its head. TD sighed, then said, "Well, it's been awhile since I used this spell. Let's see if it works."

TD walked over to the Windago and placed a hand on its head, then said a word I didn't understand. I knew what he had done afterwards when he stepped back and said, "There! That should eliminate the problem."

The Windago's eyes widened in surprise and a voice emitted from its form.

"You can speak my language?" it asked in a voice like the wind. This time, everyone in the room could understand him.

That was an amazing spell. Now others could also talk to him. Mom step towards the Windago and gave him a suspicious yet curious look.

"Tell us, what do you know?" Celestia demanded. The Windago looked to Celestia still a bit confused.

"I don't understand," it said, "How are you speaking my language?"

"They're not," TD explained, "The spell I cast makes it so that you hear them speaking back to you in your own tongue and vise versa. Now, what's the problem?"

Satisfied with TD's explanation, the Windago started.

"The wedding of Princess Cadence will be infiltrated by your enemies. A large attack from the creatures known as Changelings will attack the palace."

"We know this," TD stated, "Or rather, Twi and I know this."

"But it won't be the way you're thinking," the Windago continued, "This time, they will have help. And not even your beloved Princess Celestia can stop them. At least, not alone."

"In that case," TD said, "This IS serious. Forget that I swatted it aside earlier."

That was bad news. I couldn't believe all this. When I woke up today, I was really happy. After all the wedding of my dear sister Cadance was coming near and I just wanted to help her in preparations. All of this, I wasn't just ready for this, at least not for a few days.

"As the co-ruler of Equestria, it's my duty to protect my subjects at any cost," Mother said, "Don't worry my dear colt." She looked towards me, "I'll take care of everything and see nothing goes wrong."

I never doubted her ability, but today I didn't know what to say. I wanted to say something, but remained silent for some reason. Suddenly I heard some sniffles. Bubble was sobbing because she was really upset by where all this was going. TD's Twilight noticed this and walked over to her in an attempt to comfort her. TD sighed sadly and said, "I know that this may be disheartening for us all, and in all honesty I would prefer that this never happened. But I promise you, I will do my utmost best to help you guys out. Nobody ruins the Season Two finale on my watch."

Naturally, this confused me and everyone else, but I wisely decided not to ask for clarification. One issue with TD's magic is that it often made him act very weird, sometimes even worst than Discord had been.

"Well, thanks," I said to TD normally, "So what should we do with Mr. Wind here?"

I looked towards the Windago. TD got a thoughtful expression.

"As much as I hate ice magic for obvious reasons, a Windago would be a valuable asset, or ally even. Especially since he seems to be unique among the others. The fact that he's here at all tells me that he's immune to the effects of Friendship that occurs with most Windagos. While we're on this topic, do you have a name, Windago?"

The Windago shook his head. "We aren't given names."

"Figures," TD muttered.

In the mean time Twilight was trying to comfort Bubble.

"Bubble," Twilight asked, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine Princess Twilight. I'm just not happy with all of this," Bubble said with desperation, "What did my darling Joy did to deserve all this?" She asked, stomping her hoof on the ground.

"Joy did nothing to deserve this," Twilight said, "but it's not whether he deserved it or not that must be asked. The real question is why our enemies have a specific hatred towards him. None who live to see these times want such trouble, but that's not for us to decide. All we can do is decide what we do with the time given us." Twilight then said sheepishly, "TD gave me that one, and even then he got it from someone else."

But I was paying most of my attention towards the Ice spirit in front of me.

"Well, I'm not good with names," I said "But for a creature such as windago; how about Cold Winter?" I suggested. Though I didn't know why.

The Windago gave me a look that seemed to be a smile.

"I like it. Maybe call me Winter for short," the Windago neighed happily. TD smiled.

"Looks like that's officially taken care of," he said, "Now, how far away is the wedding again?"

"It's... it's within a week." I replied "Though official preparations are started."

"Excellent!" TD stated, "Plenty of time to find Chrysalis before she replaces Cadence, if she hasn't already."

"William," Twilight said, "Don't get ahead of yourself. Remember, we aren't allowed to get involved with that unless circumstances require our intervention to fix it."

"Well when you put it like that Twi," TD replied, "it makes me feel like a jerk."

"Wait, wait, wait," Bubble spoke up in surprise, "What did you say? Plenty of time before what?"

Twilight glared at TD, then sighed.

"Might as well tell you the rest now that he's spilled the beans. The wedding will be attacked by a Changeling hive led by an evil queen named Chrysalis. She will disguise herself as Cadence and imprison the real Cadence in a secret location, then have the wedding go as planned while hypnotizing Shining Armor. Then, she plans to reveal herself when it's too late to stop her swarm from attacking."

"And the reason we know this?" TD added, "Let's just say that in our Equestria, this has already happened, so we know exactly what to expect in general."

"So we know what's going to happen now," I said, "Maybe we can find a way to prevent this... somehow."

"Well, that's the thing," TD replied sheepishly, "We aren't supposed to meddle with that affair, as it's usually part of the Equestrian timeline. However, there is one loophole we can exploit. If the Changelings receive help, the event doesn't play out like it should, or if Twi and I are attacked by them, then we can do pretty much whatever we want."

Winter looked thoughtful. "Then, maybe you can interfere. I heard something about the Changelings receiving a much-needed boost to the invasion. Of course, that before I was sent to kill you guys."

I wasn't sure what to feel about this. A part of me was scared, desperate, and really sad. However another part of me was feeling determined to face whatever was about to come and protect my friends, family, and my people at any possible cost.

"So, you have a plan?" I asked.

* * *

Chrysalis looked up at the cocooned body of Princess Cadence right in front of her. She had abducted her a few hours ago and was just now making the required finishing touches to make sure that she wouldn't escape.

"Is everything prepared, General?" she asked a nearby warrior in armor. The Changeling nodded with an evil grin.

"Everything is going according to plan, my queen," he replied.

"Excellent!" Chrysalis remarked, "Soon, we shall conquer all of Equestria and feed off the love it provides for generations to come!"

"Aren't you forgetting something, Chrysalis?" a robotic voice suddenly said from behind. Turning around in surprise (and slight fear), Chrysalis noticed a robot in the shape of a human walking towards her. His eyes were a solid green color and they glowed in the low light of the hive. Behind him, still hidden in shadows, was another figure who couldn't be made out yet.

"Ah! Of course!" Chrysalis replied to the robot, "You and your men will be given permission to delve the lands for the resources you need to continue your war."

"Indeed," the robot said without emotion, "But remember our bargain: if you fail to deliver or if you try to cross us, then you and your kind will suffer for your failures."

"I...understand," Chrysalis said, almost in a whimper. Never before had she been afraid of anypony before, and now that she had made the deal with this rusty bucket's master, she felt fear towards them like never before.

While all the changelings were preparing for the battle ahead, one of them looked towards the cocooned Princess and then towards the horizon in the direction of Canterlot. Suddenly another Changeling came behind him and called him.

"Hey Thorax, what's wrong?"

"I don't know Phyranx. What we're doing... it just does not seem right," the Changeling named Thorax replied.

"Grow up Thorax," Phyranx said bluntly, "You'll get into trouble for questioning the ways of our Queen," He warned, looking at him eye to eye. "And I assure you, I will not be there to protect you anymore."

He walked away saying this and Thorax looked towards him in hopelessness. He just didn't want to be a part of that destruction and chaos.

Chrysalis soon came out to the front of the army and barked an order to one of her generals. The general shouted, "Move out!" and all of the Changelings flew off in the direction of Canterlot. However, before she had gone far, Chrysalis heard the robot calling her.

"Chrysalis," he said as she flew down to hear him better, "if you encounter the Prince, bring him to my client. Alive. If he's to get satifaction from his revenge, prefer that it's fresh, if you catch my meaning."

"Yes sir," she said and flew back up to join her Changelings. When she was out of earshot, the robot turned back to the hive's interiors. The figure from before was still standing in the shadows for now.

"Don't worry about the bugs," the robot said reassuringly, "They won't dare betray us, and if they do, they will suffer greatly. For now, they are but an asset, a tool for us to use in our plans. But for now, I must ask you to be patient my friend. My master always pays his debts, and you will get your revenge on the boy."

The figure seemed to smirk wickedly from the shadows.

* * *

**Joy's POV**

Only one day was left in the wedding. Twilight- Joy's Twilight- had come to Canterlot along with the Elements. Everything was going pretty smoothly. Cadence seemed even happier today, but she was acting a little... like Blueblood. She was yelling at the maids and the others as well. She even get a little mad at me as well. I never seen her like that, but maybe she was acting like this because she was nervous or she wasn't actually the Cadence I knew. However, there wasn't a clue about her being replaced but I was still a little paranoid. But I was a little satisfied with what TD had planned.

"Plan?" TD said suddenly from behind me. He seemed to be staring at a wall, yet at the same time he wasn't. I didn't really know how to explain it.

"Plan?" he said again, "I don't have a plan. All I have is a ton of magic, the most gorgeous alicorn in existence, and a human who doesn't know anything about his kind. Besides, I'm an American. We don't plan, we do!"

I usually gave him a blank stare after this, but for some reason I was getting used to his unorthodox and unexplainable actions. Though that wasn't the same for Bubble. Every time he did something like this, she became really confused and sometimes angry.

"Joy, your friend really freaks me out," She said bluntly, "Even worse than Pinkie does."

"No I don't," Pinkie suddenly appeared there out of nowhere, surprising everyone there, "Do I?"

Everyone looked at her with surprised expressions. I see what Bubble meant. TD was the fastest to recover from the shock of having Pinkie appear out of nowhere.

"Should've seen that coming," he muttered before turning to me. "Alright Joy, looks like everything is all set. Now there's just one more thing required. I need to speak with Cadence. Have you seen her around? I was hoping to give her an admittedly late present."

"Try the private bedrooms!" a maid shouted from behind a corner, "She seems to spend most of her time in there since the wedding."

"Thanks!" TD called, then looked back to me, "I'm honestly surprised that you've lasted this long with the management here. Sorry, but even in my Equestria, I literally had to explain the concept of hanging up a banner. How do you cope with it?"

"Maybe that's because unlike you, I was raised here, so I see and perceive things the same way as other ponies do," I shrugged, "So I don't see that as a problem."

Bubble nodded as she wanted to reassure what I say, "Beside, I've much to keep me distracted from such small things."

"Point taken," TD shrugged. "Hey, I just realized this. If the events of the wedding are occurring like you guys are doing now, that means Cadence should already be captured. Sorry if that sounds dark, but it'll help us out later on... hopefully."

TD closed his eyes and started chanting in a whisper. I couldn't understand anything that he said, but he was clearly trying to perform some kind of spell. Suddenly, he stopped chanting abruptly and opened his eyes wide with worry.

"Oh no!" he exclaimed, "That's not good!"

"What happened!?" I asked in sudden panic. The others also seemed to be a little panic, other than Pinkie who was just being herself.

"Ummm... let me guess!" She said as she felt a shiver in her body, "Wow... My Pinkie sense says that something's really unexpected is about to happen."

"Okay, I have good news and bad news," TD said, "The good news is that Twilight and I can now intervene with events however we please. However, that's where the bad news comes in. Cadence is not in the prison that she should be in." Ignoring our panicked looks, he continued, "You see, normally Chrysalis should've placed Cadence inside a special prison underneath Canterlot, but that's not the case right now! She's been moved!"

"What do you mean by she's been moved?" I asked him, "Tell me what happened to my sister!?" I was about to whine even though I didn't want to panic.

"Why don't we ask her in person?" TD suggested with a strange glint in his eyes. His tone also seemed a bit... different. Just then, who should appear but the mare in question.

I saw the Cadance was standing there at a little distance. She wasn't looking much different than usual. I went closer to her Pinkie, Bubble, TD and Princess Twilight were watching her every step.

"Caddie!" I called to her. She gave me a really arrogant stare and said, "I told you to call us Princess Mi Amore Cadanza."

"Alright, Princess Mi Amore Cadanza, I wanted to tell you something," I said.

"Spit... I mean, tell me... cousin."

"Now as you're about to start a new era of your life you must be excited." She was getting annoyed at me and that was assurance for what TD had said. "Do you remember how you celebrated my third birthday."

"Get to th... ahm... I mean yeah, that chocolate cake was really... tasty."

"So you do remember," I said and punched her face with all my rage, much to her surprise.

"Have you lost your mind?!"

"No, but you will if you don't tell me where my cousin is!"

"Are you blind?! I AM your cousin-"

"You can drop the charades, Crhysalis, "TD said threateningly, "We know it's you. You're disguise is transparent to me. Plus, you are a terrible actor."

Chrysalis snarled and tried to rush past us, but then she was suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force, then pinned to the wall nearby. TD snapped his fingers- actually, now that I watched carefully, he only pretended to, yet the sound was still there. The form of my cousin fell away and in her place was a bug-like creature as big as Mother. She hissed and snarled as if trying to escape, but to no avail.

"What's going on?" a voice shouted, and soon Cold Winter and several guards rushed over to us. Chrysalis snarled at Winter.

"YOU!" she shouted, "Traitor!"

I was still so much furious at this. I needed answers from this bug mare. I'd never punch a mare, but she kidnapped my sister so she was more than deserving for this. I punched her once again as she looked towards me eye to eye. I was gritting my teeth in anger at her.

"I asked where's my cousin?" I literally roared at her.

Chrysalis simply laughed in my face.

"You really think that I'd tell you boy! You don't scare me, and soon nothing will prevent your downfall. Your entire family is-"

Suddenly, TD pushed me aside and looked fiercely at the Changeling queen. As soon as Chrysalis looked at him, her expression immediately turned into one of fear.

"Maybe you won't answer to him," TD snarled, "but you WILL answer to me! Where. Is. Cadence?"

Chrysalis didn't answer, so TD muttered, "I don't have time for this." He turned to us for a moment and said, "For those with weak constitutions or an unwillingness to see something brutal, I suggest you look away or leave the room."

I was suddenly scared a little then. I looked towards him and gestured my hand in a 'no'.

"TD, I don't know about your Equestria, but brutality isn't acceptable here." I took a deep sigh. "This would be..." I took another rage filled sigh. "...too much... even for her."

A part of me wanted to kill her on the spot for what she'd done, but that wasn't what Mother taught me.

Bubble looked towards me and gave me a look of disbelief, "Joy... she's taken your cousin. She's taken Cadance and nopony knows where she could be," She looked towards TD and then the bug mare, "She deserves this."

"Who said anything about killing her?" TD asked, "It's not her time yet."

Before I could protest further, a burst of red lightning fired from his fingertips and shocked Chrysalis for a few seconds. The queen howled in pain, twitching occasionally due to the effects of the lightning.

"Where is she?" TD asked. No response came, and Chrysalis earned another shock.

"WHERE IS SHE?!" TD demanded, his voice now amplified several times beyond normal.

"The hive!" Chrysalis finally spat out, "She's... at the hive!"

"Well that wasn't so hard, now was it?" TD asked, his voice going back to normal and his tone full of sarcasm. "Now SLEEP."

The last word he spoke seemed to echo throughout the room, and I almost had a desire to lie down where I was and fall asleep. Thankfully, the spell wasn't directed at me. Chrysalis hissed as she tried to fight it, but eventually her eyes closed and she fell to the floor, no longer pinned to the wall.

"Phew, I'm glad that we know where she is without any life loss." I said.

"You're too kind-hearted," Bubble spoke in a serious tone, "That's not always a good thing."

I just shrugged at this and looked towards TD. "She said that Cadance is at the hive. So where is her hive anyway?"

Suddenly, I heard that something was hitting the forcefield. That was not good at all! I rushed towards the throne room to see mother.

"Prepare yourselves!" TD shouted as he followed me with the others. He turned to one of the guards and shouted, "Lock that bug up! Make sure that she can't escape!"

The guards nodded and pulled Chrysalis away. Princess Twilight came into the room, followed by the rest of the Elements, who had tossed aside their wedding garments. As soon as TD saw Twilight, he suddenly got scared.

"Oh dear! I just remembered!" He looked to me, "Where's Twilight? Your Twilight?"

"Wasn't she with you girls?" I looked towards Rarity, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Applejack.

"We haven't seen her around for a while. She was complaining about Princess Cadence being evil and such..." Applejack said, feeling a little guilty for some reason. The others also nodded their heads at this. I looked around and just realized. Mother wasn't on her throne.

"Mom... she's not here!?" I said "She must be here unless...?" A thought suddenly worried me to sweat. TD suddenly got a worried expression.

"Get behind me!" he ordered. Right when he did, a loud explosion destroyed part of the wall and debris landed on a shield TD conjured just in time. The dust cleared, revealing several Changelings looking in on us. But in front of the Changelings was... I almost couldn't believe it. It looked a lot like the one robot that had helped Discord! It pointed it's hand at me and fired a large beam. I was too startled, too surprised to react. Thankfully, I didn't have to. Princess Twilight stepped in the way of the blast and placed up a shield. The beam struck the shield and ricocheted off towards the robot, hitting it square in the face. The robot exploded and the Changelings looked up with surprise. They tried to run, but a blast of lightning from TD stopped them from going anywhere, and they fell to the ground; unconscious or dead, it was hard to tell.

I soon realized I didn't need to think about that right now. My mother was missing along with Twilight. If my guess was right, then Mother was captured when "Cadence" went to have a talk with her about the brides' maids. And Twilight hadn't disappeared long after. So they could be somewhere in the Castle. Suddenly I felt a familiar aura coming from the hall.

"TD, I'm going to find Twilight and mother," I said, "I think I know where they are."

"Be careful!" TD warned, "Cold Winter, go with him! Twilight- sorry, MY Twilight and I need to help in the defense! Watch yourselves! It's a battleground out there!"

With that, TD rushed towards the hole in the wall and out onto the battlefield with Princess Twilight close behind. Winter looked to me when they had left and said, "So...where to?"

To the castle's hall!" I replied him "I think that queen had hidden my mother there," I said, and looked towards the Elements. "You can take care of yourself?"

"Of course we can! Duh!" Rainbow spoke up, "I'll crush them."

"So Bubble..." she didn't have much time to react before I lifted her in my arms once again. "Hold on tight!"

Here I charged my magic into my legs and started running towards the hall. Winter was fast enough to match my speed, but not without leaving an ice trail behind. As I reached the interior of the castle, I saw that there were many guards, servants, and maids lying on the floor unconscious. I put down Bubble and looked towards the unconscious ponies there.

"Oh no, no, no, no!" I said as I went closer to a maid who was slightly awake.

"Prince Joy," She whined, "They were everywhere, they were very strong."

"Don't worry! Those monsters had been taken care of for now. Do you know where the Princess is?"

She pointed towards the roof. As I looked there I saw that mom and Twilight were cocooned and were hanging to the roof with some gooey sticky material.

"Bubble, catch them when they fall!"

She nodded as I used my magic to detach them from the roof. As they were falling, Bubble carefully lowered them with her magic. As they reached the ground, I broke the sheath of the cocoon to free them. They came out unconscious along with some sticky liquid.

"Thank goodness, they're fine," I said, "Mom, Twilight. Wake up."

Winter looked around as I stood over my mother and friend. A Changeling entered the room for a second, but he seemed scared. As if trying to hide. One of the maids screamed and tried to run.

"No, wait!" the Changeling shouted, "Don't run! I'm- I'm not gonna hurt you. I just-"

Winter suddenly zoomed over to the Changeling and stared hard at it, causing him to flinch. He then looked back at me and said, "His eyes reveal no lies. He means us no harm."

I didn't wanna believe my eyes. He really looked scared, but I failed to understand why.

"So you mean no harm?" I asked him with harshness while I was still standing over my unconscious mother and friend, "Then I hope you have a good explanation about what's going on here."

The Changeling mustered up some courage and replied, "I'm... hiding from the fight. I never wanted to harm anypony and take their love. It just doesn't feel right. My hive planned this attack for a long time, but recently our Queen made an alliance with somepony... shady. I don't know who he is, but he gave us some new gear that we used to spring our attack, as you can see. But... that shady figure... I heard him say that he's coming for you, Prince Joy Star."

"Hiding from the fight?" I said, "So you're not like others?" He nodded. "And you said somepony shady is coming for me?"

"Yes..." he replied.

"After seeing what your kind can do... it's really hard to trust you, but..."

"Joy, Twilight and the Princess are coming around!" Bubble exclaimed. Hearing this, the Changeling flew away before I could do something to stop him.

"Joy," I heard Mother muttering my name. I sat closer to her as she opened her eyes. I hugged her with happiness as soon as she did. I heard a grumble from Twilight asl she was coming around too.

"Joy, is that you?"

"Yes, Twilight," I replied.

"What... what happened...? I was just talking with Cadance and then she... she's evil, she was using my brother... my brother... where is Shining Armor?"

"Calm down Twilight," I said to her, "He must be where he was left by that evil changeling queen." I just realized that we hadn't seen Shiny since the encounter with the queen. "The private bedroom."

Suddenly, I heard a loud robotic voice outside call to me. I could hear it even through the walls.

"Joy Star!" the voice shouted, "Come out here now, or your people will continue to suffer! If you do not comply, we will destroy this city and all inside!"

As I heard this I was beyond myself and my anger. I had to shut this tin can up. I had to finish him once and for all. I picked up a sword which was lying near a unicorn guard, got up and looked towards the main door.

"Joy stop!" Bubble said, "You will not go out there!"

I didn't listen and continued to walk towards the door.

"That's a bad idea Joy," Twilight said, "You can't face him alone!"

I just continued on my path without responding. I was close to the door when I felt myself being stopped. My mother was using her magic to stop me.

"Stop right there, Joy Star!"

"Sorry Mother," I said, before breaking out of her grip using my own magic. I never wanted to do this. I looked towards Mother and my dear fiancee. There were huge tears in Mother's eyes and Bubble was weeping as well while hugging her. Twilight gave a look of worry and gritted her teeth in frustration.

"Fine, go and do whatever you want to do!" She sobbed heavily.

I just turned myself around and made a silent sniffle. I didn't enjoy doing this a bit. I opened the door and headed outside the castle. As I came out, I saw that ponies were lying on the ground wounded and crying in pain.

 _This is my home. These are my people, my friends. And no one hurts my friends or family in front of me._

"Leave them alone!" I yelled, "You want me, I'm here! Come before me if you're not a coward, you piece of scrap metal!"

I held the sword in my hand and charged my magic. Just then, several robots dropped down in front of me, each one looking identical to the one who had helped Discord. One of them had red eyes and seemed to be the leader. He pointed at me and a voice emitted from his form.

"You have hidden away from us for far too long, Joy Star," the tin can said in an emotionless tone, "Our ally has been waiting to exact revenge on you, and the day has come. Surrender now, or your friends get what is coming to them."

As he said that, I saw some more robots dragging the Elements minus Twilight over to me. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were fighting like crazy to escape, Fluttershy was cowering down in a ball, Rarity had fainted, and Pinkie Pie just looked angry. However, when they noticed me, their expressions turned into a pleading glance.

"Don't listen to him!" Rainbow Dash shouted, "We'll be fine!"

"You will not hurt them!" I shouted at that tin can, "Or else..." My hands started to burn with heavy charge of magic.

"Please," the robot replied, as his minions tightened their grip on my friends. A few Changelings had joined him and were surrounding me on all sides. "This isn't your war. Just because you were raised here doesn't mean that this is your world to protect. All we want is your cooperation and your friends will be free."

"No Joy!" Applejack shouted, "Equestria needs ya!"

"Get him while you've got a shot!" Rainbow Dash yelled.

"Kick his flank!" Pinkie added.

"What's it gonna be, human?" the robot sneered, "I won't wait forever. And neither will this town."

I gritted my teeth as he said this.

"No you're wrong. Equestria is my home, my world to protect and these ponies are my family. And you'll suffer for hurting them."

I stepped towards him, extending my hand and using my magic to lift him in the air. I looked towards his emotionless eyes.

"Tell them to leave the girls or else I'll crush you apart," I growled at him. The robot simply chuckled, then suddenly a beam fired from his eyes and hit me square in the chest. I groaned as I fell to the ground. I could hear the girls crying out my name, but only barely. The robot laughed, a horrid metallic laugh, and then said, "As I predicted. Too kind-hearted, caring too much for your friends. Our client will be very pleased to have you in his clutches once more, after all these years when you escaped him as a child."

The robot stepped closer, but then suddenly the air felt very chilly, which was odd because it was too early for cold weather. Just then, I realized what it was when a large ice spirit flew up before me with a neigh. Cold Winter stood in between me and the robots, snorting and bellowing in anger. The robot's eyes glowed dangerously while the Changelings backed away in fear of this new opponent.

"Subject 201," the robot ordered, "Stand aside."

"My name is Cold Winter!" the Windago shouted, "And I serve you no longer!"

With an earsplitting neigh, a surge of icy energy erupted from the Windago's body and froze the robots solid. He then gave each a kick and they shattered like glass. The Changelings obviously didn't want the same fate, because they immediately turned and fled. The girls were shocked and surprised at the sight of the Windago, but Winter's attention was focused on me as I regained my senses.

"Are you okay, Prince Joy?" he asked.

"I'm... fine," I told him, "Are the Elements are okay?" I asked as I got up and looked at them. They were alright. "Thank you Winter, for saving them."

Winter nodded, then said, "I've only ever been a terrible pony spirit all my life. Trying to freeze your kind solid, and recently tried to kill you. I figured... it was about time I did something right for once..."

"It feels good. Isn't it?" I told him, "But this isn't finished yet." I remembered that Cadence was still missing. "We still have to find Caddie." I said, as I looked towards the Elements.

"Then you're not gonna like where we're gonna have to go," a voice said from the sky above me. I looked up just in time to see TD float down from the sky with his Twilight flying beside him. They seemed to have just gotten out of a long fight, especially Twilight. TD looked up.

"The hive is located far from here and it carries a weakness that you guys won't be able to get around on your own."

"Joy! He's alright." A well recognized voice came from behind me "He's alright Twilight."

I looked behind me to see that Bubble and Twilight were coming there. Behind them there was mother looking towards me with happiness and anger at the same time. As Twilight came outside she was knocked down by Pinkie in a sun exciting hug. She released her from the hug and said, "Twilight, YOU'RE ALRIGHT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENED HERE! A MACHINE WAS TRYING TO..."

Applejack stopped her by jamming a hoof on her mouth.

"Ah think she means to say, we're so glad to see ya safe and sound."

Mother was standing at a little distance from me, giving me a somewhat angry look. Bubble was also standing there, but didn't show any of her usual behavior, i.e. a hug or knocking me down to a kiss. She was really mad at me and I knew that.

"Sorry Bubble." She didn't reply, but just looked at me and shrugged. "I'm really sorry."

"What. Just. Happened here!?" The voice of Shining Armor demanded as he came out of the palace, "Where is Cadence?"

"No time to explain, Shining!" TD stated, "You guys stay here and mop up the mess, so to speak. I'm going to get Cadence for you. Don't try to come with me, because the answer is no! Toodles!"

With that, TD disappeared in a cloud of red smoke, much to Shining's annoyance. It was only then that Rarity bothered to ask, "Why is the Windago here? And how?"

Cold Winter gave her a shrug. "I'm not entirely sure how I'm able to be here, but as to why... well, it WAS to warn you guys, but that soon turned into helping you guys fight off the attackers."

"Mother," I spoke to her again, "I was so worried about my friends, and I just don't wanna hide like a coward. Please forgive me for breaking your grip."

She took a deep sigh before looking towards me.

"Do you realize how dangerous that was?" She asked, "How would I ever forgive myself if something..." her eyes started to shed tears, "...something had happened to you?" She put her hoof on my shoulder. "Look towards her." She pointed towards Bubble who was still wiping her tears. "Do you even realize how much she loves you? What would she do if something happened to you? What would I do?" She put her hoof on her chest. "What would I do without my son?"

I was stunned. "I do realize this mom, Bubble," I replied, "That's why I would never want you to be hurt because of me." I sighed and looked towards Bubble. "All of this trouble is because of me... that would never had happen if I nev-"

I felt a slap across my cheek as I said this. I looked towards Bubble, who had a frustrated expression on her face.

"Stop right here!" She yelled. "Not a word more! You think it's simple as that!?" She sobbed. "I will not ever let you go." She hugged me tightly as she continued. "And don't you ever dare say that again!"

I returned the hug as I tried to comfort her. My actions had hurt her a lot and I was feeling so bad for this. Princess Twilight had been silent whole time, but her expression showed that she knew what the others felt. But before a word could be said, a flash of light erupted near us and TD appeared with Cadence in his arms. How he was able to carry her was unclear to me, considering that she was about his size. Her condition didn't look too well.

"Twilight!" he shouted.

"Yes?" both Twilight's asked.

"No, not you," he said, "The other... you know what? Forget it! Get over here and use some healing spell or something! She's almost gone!"

Both Twilight's rushed over to his side, but as for me and the others, we were shocked and devastated to hear this.

Wha... what?" I was too shocked, "What happened there exactly?"

"The Changelings must've drained a lot of love from her. They clearly didn't want us to find her alive," TD stated. He looked to his Twilight, who immediately started to take charge.

"William, keep her stabilized," she said, "Twilight?"

My Twilight looked up at her alicorn self in question.

"I need your help with this spell. Now, together with me."

The two's horns glowed and touched the top of Cadence's head as TD started chanting in a dark language. Cadence seemed barely conscious, but she managed to open her eyes and look at us questioningly. I came close to her and held her hoof.

"Caddie." She look towards me. "I'm glad you're still... here with us."

Then I looked towards TD. I wanted to thank him so gratefully. Too bad I didn't have the proper words to do so.

"Thank you for saving her," I said. TD gave a small smile as he ended the chant. Both Twilight's stopped their spell and Cadence looked up in confusion.

"Am I still dreaming?" she asked weakly, "Because I'm seeing two Twilights."

The two Twilights looked to each other, then giggled. For a moment, we all seemed to forget about the fight around us... until a Changeling fell from the sky in front of us. He was quickly thrown through the air by a loud "Fus Roh Dah!" from TD, who laughed afterwards.

"I love that Shout," he said to no one in particular.

"No Caddie," I told Cadence, "You're not dreaming at all." To see her alright again... I was about to explode with happiness. "She's Twilight from a cross space-time reality," I said, referring towards TD's Twilight. The Elements minus Twilight gave me wondering stares along with Cadence herself, most probably because of that bookish term I had used.

"What! I read this term in a book once!" Cadence and both Twilights giggled at this.

"Specifically, she's the one that was with me when the Windago attack happened," TD pointed out, "Just in case you needed clarification."

I admitted that it was a much better way to explain her. After all they've met before.

"Yeah, that one."

"Oh, I do remember a little," said Cadence "Nice to see you again, Princess Twilight. It's just Changeling magic, messing with my head." She rubbed her head with her hoof.

"It's alright, Cadence," Princess Twilight replied, "I know all about Changeling magic and what it can do to you."

Cadence nodded, then noticed Cold Winter nearby watching with an interested expression.

"You know," Winter remarked, "I have never felt Friendship before without having it hurt me. Now that it isn't hurting me... it feels amazing! Why haven't I experienced this before?"

"Who cares about past?" I told Winter, "You're what you choose to be now," I brought Bubble closer to my side using my arm. "Right my dear Bubble?"

"Don't flatter too much, okay?" Bubble pouted, "I'm still mad at you!"

"Oh, go easy on the lad," TD stated, "He was doing what he thought was best for you all. But you're right about one thing. That was a stupid thing to do Joy, and rather reckless. You should've at least came up with some plan."

A building nearby suddenly exploded and TD looked up.

"Speaking of plans..."

TD suddenly disappeared in a flash of light as a swarm of Changelings approached us. They snarled with hostility, but then stopped when we all heard a noise in the distance. A shadow appeared on the ground where the Changelings were and I heard a voice shouting, "This is the greatest plaaaaan!" Suddenly, a large machine of some kind (TD later told me that is was called a helicopter) crashed into the ground where the Changelings had been standing and TD climbed out of the driver's seat, laughing all the while.

"Gets them every time!" he laughed. He then looked at some more in the distance who were dumbfounded by what they had seen.

"I can do this all day," TD said, "Got plenty more where that came from!"

Bubble couldn't help but be amazed at this sight. I said again, "I'm sorry. I should've listened."

She was still pouting at me. Luckily, I knew just the trick to lighten her mode. I nuzzled her mane as I knew how much she loved this.

"Please forgive me. I'm really sorry."

She couldn't resist any longer and giggled joyfully.

"Alright, alright!" She said with a chuckle, "I forgive you. In fact, I've never been mad at you for real. I was just worried for you."

The others just chuckled at this beautiful moment.

"Yay!" TD shouted. As he did, a few more Changelings came over, only to run for their lives as TD fired some fireballs at them.

"Back off!" he said to them, "Give them some space!"

Princess Twilight chuckled at this and my Twilight said, "I think I can understand why you chose him. He can be fun to watch."

"He sure is awesome!" Exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"He's a little scary," Fluttershy squeaked.

"I would say a little reckless," Rarity said, "You see, he's not much different than Discord."

"I think he's just a little wierd," I said, "But not much bad once you get to know him," I shrugged and looked towards Bubble.

"His magic and he himself always freak me out!" Bubble said, "I agree with Rarity."

"Ow! That hurts my feelings!" TD said in mock hurt, "I feel like my heart is going to burst."

Suddenly, we all heard a loud "POP!" from TD's chest and he looked up at us.

"See? Now I have to fix it."

TD pulled a bowl of salsa out of nowhere along with a chip. He dipped the chip in the salsa and ate it. For a second, nothing happened, then he suddenly had steam fire out of his ears and a train whistle was heard.

"Yikes!" TD shouted, "What's in this stuff?"

I realized soon enough that it was another 'harmless' joke of his. I laughed along with others as I saw TD's Twilight just rolling her eyes at this. She usually did so when TD did something rather unexplainable.

"Awesome, scary, reckless, weird. Whatever you call me, I'll take it. Within reason of course," TD stated.

I was glad to think that the attack was over and now maybe we could continue the royal wedding. But something told me that I was too early to celebrate. A lightning bolt struck a little ways from where we were standing. We were all stunned at once when we saw this.

"What... was... that?" I managed to say.

Soon, some kind of purple magical vertex appeared at the place where lightning had hit. It instantly took the shape of something... strange. It was tall and floating in the air. His whole body was covered in dark blue cape and his head was hidden in a hood. The figure stood there for a while, then spoke.

"So you're the lost spawn of the Phoenix mages. Hiding here between these inferior creatures," He said in dark multiple voices, "That tin can and those bugs aren't completely useless at all. I must thank them for helping me to get you out of your cover."

"Who the Tartarus are you and what are you talking about? I have no idea!" I yelled at him, "But you'll suffer if you dare to fight against us. That's my promise!"

"We'll see about that!" The figure replied with a chuckle, "Now, prepare to meet your fate."

TD stepped between me and the figure with a steering glare. Princess Twilight stood beside him.

"There's only two endings to this story buddy," TD said, "The first one has you riding off into the sunset. The second one has me placing you in a coffin in the ground. Take your pick, or I'll choose for you."

"Do you think you can kill me?" That figure said, "If you do, then you're going to be really disappointed." He chuckled and looked towards me "You wanna play hero by helping the boy don't you?" He laughed, "You sure are a fool."

The response was a large red lightning bolt fired from TD's fingers. It struck the figure and he stumbled a bit. If I could've seen his face, I guarantee that he'd be extremely surprised. TD smirked.

"The only fool that I see is the one who dares to challenge me," TD said, purposely speaking in rhymes and using an impression of Zecora's voice.

"Behind us!" Winter shouted. No sooner had he done so than an extremely large Changeling horde dropped down from the sky. In front of them was...

"Oh, come on!" TD screeched in frustration, "I specifically said to make sure Chrysalis couldn't escape! Is it that hard?!"

Chrysalis laughed, "You ponies really need to upgrade your security measures. Getting out of prison was easy. And now, you will suffer the might of the Changelings!"

As if things weren't bad enough, several of the tin cans came beside the dark figure and looked at us threateningly.

"Prince Joy Star of Atlis," one robot with green eyes stated, "You are surrounded. Your situation is hopeless. Surrender now, or the Equestrian residence will be vaporized."

I was really confused now at my situation. Just why did they want to capture me so badly? And what would they do if I did not surrender? I prepared myself for battle once more. Bubble was standing beside me, sticking close to me with her horn glowing with a blinding purple light.

"You step towards my fiancé, and I swear I'll vanish you out of existence!" Bubble shouted in anger, "Just what has he ever done to you?"

The robot's eyes glowed. "It's called 'war,' and 'conquest.' The strong dominate the weak and all who refuse to conform will perish in the fire as a new order rises from the ashes."

"Wow, and I thought you guys were smart," TD scoffed, "You really think that's how it works? We are granted these powers that we possess not to dominate, but to protect. We use our gifts to fend for those who cannot fend for themselves. We are supposed to bring order and peace, not war and destruction. The strong are meant to protect the weak, and neither side can exist without the other."

"Enough talk!" Chrysalis shouted impatiently. She charged up a blast from her horn and aimed it at Mother. I was too slow to react, but thankfully I didn't have to. At the last second, Princess Twilight teleported in front of the blast and countered Chrysalis's spell. An explosion erupted between their blasts and Chrysalis screeched in pain. She then fired another blast at Twilight, who did the same with her own.

"Kill her!" the robot shouted, "Kill her, you bug!"

"I- can't!" Chrysalis said with strain in her voice, "She's too- strong!"

"Unlike you, I don't need to steal power to defeat you," Princess Twilight stated, as her beam connected with Chrysalis's horn and caused the queen to fall backwards a bit.

As soon as I was distracted, one of those robots tried to attack me. But before he could do so, Bubble shot a strong energy beam at him, shattering him into scrap.

"I... said... stay... away... from him!" She said between heavy gasps before giving me a victorious smile. I saw that her cutie mark was glowing.

"Bubble, how did you...?" I was surprised. "Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Never... felt any better."

"Watch out!" I exclaimed, as I saved her from another attack. Before the robot who shot it could do something, I shoot an aura blast at him, successfully shattering him to pieces. Bubble and I looked towards each other with a smirk on our faces. We both had one crazy idea.

"Be my shield, and I'll be yours," I said and she nodded. And in this fashion, we kept countering their attacks together. By now, all of our enemies had lost their patience.

"Kill them all!" the one robot shouted, "But take the boy alive!"

The army of robots and Changelings surged towards us, intending to end us all for good. However, it was soon apparent that while our enemies had the numbers advantage, they were clearly outmatched in power. Cold Winter kept flying in and out among their ranks, freezing them solid; the Elements were managing to keep the enemy on their toes, especially with Pinkie Pie pulling all kinds of tricks on them mid-combat; Princess Twilight was casting all kinds of spells that either assisted our side or hindered the enemy; and Cadence had recovered enough to stand, and both she and Shining Armor were lending help where they could. But TD was probably the main reason why we managed to hold out. His onslaughts against the enemy never ended, his defenses were impenetrable, and his power was unrivalled. Entire squads would get wiped out by a mere flick of his finger or a blink of his eyes. Needless to say, our enemies were quickly overwhelmed by our stubborn defense. But unfortunately, that was simply a calm before the storm.

At one point, a robot had attempted to take out Bubble while I was busy with another robot. None of us saw what had happened, but apparently when it had shot a blast at Bubble, Princess Twilight had teleported into its path and taken the full blow. We only noticed when we heard TD's voice cry out in three voices at once.

"TWILIGHT!"

"What the..." Bubble was able to say, as she saw Princess Twilight collapsing in front of her.

"Princess Twilight..." She blasted that robot in a blink, then came closer to the unconscious Twilight and stroked her shoulder. "Princess Twilight, are you alright?" There was no response. In a moment, I reached her side too.

"Joy, that thing tried to shoot me and..." Bubble said with a tone of guilt, "I don't know when she came in front of me."

TD rushed over faster than my brain could even register and lifted the alicorn into his arms.

"No..." he said softly, "Nonononono! Stay awake, Twi! Stay awake...please."

His tone was pleading and his eyes were filling with tears.

"Not again. Please, not again!"

TD held her tightly to his form, repeating this over and over again. Eventually, Princess Twilight stirred and TD pulled away just in time to see her eyes flutter open. As soon as he saw this, he brought her back into a crushing hug, burying his face into her mane. Her wings slowly spread out and wrapped around him as well, and they sat there for a few moments not caring about the rest of the fight. Our enemies only laughed scornfully.

"You see?" the green-eyed robot stated, "Emotional attachments like that make you weak. And unfortunately for you, that shall be your demise. Finish them off."

The remaining enemies gathered together for another charge. My heart sank at the sight, for there was still many of them around us. Chrysalis decided to take the initiative, but when she fired a blast at us, the blast suddenly stopped in midair and disintegrated. It was then that I noticed the change in the air. It felt more threatening, more chaotic...

"What now!?" Applejack shouted.

"I think TD is at his rage," I shouted in response, "I've seen this happening before."

"Is that a good thing?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"Well, as far as I think, yes and no," I replied.

"Now what the hay does that mean?" Rainbow asked.

TD suddenly stood up and the light around us dimmed, even though it was still in the middle of the day. I then noticed that his eyes had changed. They were draconic in appearance, yellowish-orange in color, and they glowed in the low light. Those same eyes reflected hatred, anger, and in general were very intimidating. TD looked to the robot and the figure beside him, and spoke again, his voice still sounding like three voices at once.

"You hurt my wife," he said, "Big mistake."

TD lifted his hands, and suddenly all chaos was unleashed. Red lightning fell from the sky, striking the enemies at random; pillars of fire grew up from out of the ground and collided with unfortunate foes; cracks opened up in the ground spewing out lava or causing a robot to fall to its demise. Several attempts to harm him were made, but they either deflected off him like they weren't even there or were absorbed into a tornado of power around his body, levitating him off of the ground.

"No!" the green-eyed robot shouted, rushing at TD. The figure looked in my direction and started for me as well, perhaps in desperation to catch me. They never made it. TD "snapped" his fingers, and the tornado erupted into a massive shockwave of energy that expanded outwards from his body, blinding us all. When we could see again, the entire town was repaired as if the fight had never occurred. Also, with the exception of the dark figure and the green-eyed robot, all of our enemies had disappeared as well, and even then the dark figure and the robot seemed injured to some extent. The other robots had all been reduced to scrap, but the Changelings were nowhere to be seen. TD lowered to the ground and his eyes returned to normal. He seemed a bit winded.

"That's what I mean," I said to Rainbow, "Yes, because it's easy for us to win with it. No, because if he lost control, he himself would become the danger. And a worst one at that."

The dark figure looked at TD. He floated back in the air as his body began to glow with dark blue aura.

"I underestimated you," he said, "You're a being of Chaos. Next time I return, I'll make sure to give you the most brutal death ever and make your soul suffer in the depths of the Forbidden realm along with that ignorant fool when I've done with him!" He looked to me when he said that last part. With this, the figure disappeared in a burst of lightening.

"Mark my words!" His voice lingered after he disappeared.

"And now what to do with you?" Pinkie said as she looked towards the green eyed robot.

The robot managed a weak, mechanical laugh. He was lying on the ground and one of his legs was gone.

"You heard the man. This isn't over yet. When he returns, he'll finish you all off. It's only a matter of time before-"

The robot suddenly was interrupted by TD's foot on his chest.

"Then he'll have to get past me first," TD said bluntly, "And to make it officially known who he's messing with, I think it's about time I pulled one of my big cards."

TD's image changed into a form that was made of darkness on one half, and the other half of light. His voice amplified several times beyond normal as he spoke.

"By the power invested in me as a Guardian of Existence, I hereby place this version of Equus and all of it's inhabitants under my protection. To attack this universe as a whole is to attack the Terror of Dimensions. Any and all who oppose this act will suffer the full powers of Chaos!"

Upon finishing, TD stomped his head hard on the robot and it was crushed under his weight like a bug. His image and voice then returned to normal and he looked to us with an apologetic expression.

"I am so sorry you had to see that," TD said gravely. "For now you have seen but a taste of my power and what I am capable of."

All of them were stunned at what they saw. Rarity and Fluttershy covered their eyes with their hooves and were shivering with fear. Bubble was hiding her face against my chest while wrapping her hooves around my chest and clenching her eyes shut.

"That was so scary," She said in an almost traumatized state, "I don't even wanna imagine that."

"It's gone Bubble," I stroked her back lightly, "Now you can open your eyes."

"No, please keep me close!" She whined.

"Alright Bubble!" I replied "Make yourself comfortable."

The others giggled a little at this situation. I blushed deeply once again. TD just laughed.

"So, who's up for the wedding?"

* * *

The next day was a day of celebration. We all were very happy, as the royal wedding was finally going on without any trouble at last. Shining was really excited as he stood at the stage. Bubble and I were standing beside Mother. Twilight- my Twilight- was standing beside her BBBFF. At last music was played and the CMC appeared. Behind them, Cadence came walking down the aisle with all her grace. A delightful blush appeared on her face as she stepped onto the stage.

"... and now I pronounce you husband and wife," Mother finally said these words and cheers arose from everywhere around the palace. The newly weds finally kissed each other and then Rainbow Dash was signaled for a Sonic Rainboom. And she did the fastest Sonic Rainboom ever.

"Best. Wedding. Ever!" She exclaimed.

In a while, Aunt Luna came there and asked, "Hi everypony! What did I miss?" She had no idea what she had missed out on while she was in Dragon territory.  
Then after a little bit of slow traditional dance, a DJ appeared behind the dubstep and the real music was started. Twilight- I mean my Twilight- took hold of the mic and sang a song:

 _Love is in bloom_  
 _A beautiful bride, a handsome groom_  
 _Two hearts becoming one_  
 _A bond that cannot be undone because_

 _Love is in bloom_  
 _A beautiful bride, a handsome groom_  
 _I said love is in bloom_  
 _You're starting a life and making room_  
 _For us_

 _Your special day_  
 _We celebrate now, the pony way_  
 _Your friends are all right here_  
 _Won't let these moments disappear because_

 _Love is in bloom_  
 _A beautiful bride, a handsome groom_  
 _I said love is in bloom_  
 _You're starting a life and making room_  
 _For us_

I took many pictures of me with mother, Bubble, and my other friends. It was an amazing wedding.

"This will be the second time that I've heard you sing this song personally during this event," TD said to his Twilight with a smile. "Just as beautiful every time."

"Careful William," Twilight said to him playfully, "I might get jealous."

"And why should you?" TD asked in the same tone, pulling her close to him. "You are the only Twilight that has ever caught my eye, my little North Star. No other Twilight Sparkle can or will replace you."

Twilight blushed and wrapped her hooves around him.

"And no stallion could ever replace my Prince of Chaos, however long I may wait."

TD smiled and gave her a kiss, oblivious to the crowd around them. There was a mixture of aww's and eww's from this action, but neither seemed to care or notice. I only just noticed this before my attention turned to a special carriage that had arrived to take the newlyweds away for their honeymoon.

My Twilight opened the door of the carriage and the happily married couple sat down inside. I was happy for Cadence and Shining Armor. I also couldn't stop some tears from leaving my eyes. Before the chariot started to move, Cadence put her head out of the window and threw the bouquet towards the waiting girls. Rarity forced them aside to get that bouquet for herself.

"Mine!" she shouted. But before she could catch it, Bubble used her magic to catch it first and waved a hoof towards Rarity. She smiled sheepishly at this.

"Nice catch, Bubble!" Princess Twilight shouted.

As I watched, Cold Winter came down beside me in a cheerful mood. Thanks to a quick explanation on TD's part and further reassurance from Mother, he had been permitted to stay. Some ponies were even getting to know him on a friendly level.

"This is the best day of my life," the Windago stated, "and that's saying much, considering what little I could do before today."

Just then, there was a loud crash and TD appeared with several broken chairs and such nearby, much to the amusement of the guests.

"I did not mean to do that!" he said, using his magic to fix everything back together. He then looked to another table where an object stood that I had not seen there before.

"Oh, and we've got the Waa instead of the Wii," TD said with a chuckle.

"Means?" I asked.

"Nevermind," TD said with another chuckle, "You wouldn't understand." He then looked out at the wedding party as it was calming down.

"You know, I have actually been to this event at least twice. Each time, due to a different circumstance. The first time, however, required me to travel back in time, because I had not arrived in Equestria at the time. It also had to do with Twilight. My Twilight, that is."

"That understandable. I would do the same if I had to save my Bubble," I replied as I looked towards her. I then turned back to TD. "If you don't mind, can I check out that object?"

"Be my guest," TD stated.

Along with that object, I also saw two smaller objects which reminded me of something from Equestria, but much smaller. It had two sticks on it and four circular and four square buttons. I held that object in my hand.

"I may be wrong, but it looks like the buttons on arcade gaming stations," I said as I looked towards TD, "Where is its screen?"

"Oh, the screen hasn't arrived yet," TD stated. "Besides, it was supposed to be a joke originally. I mean, I can't just play a game without the screen, now can I?"

Winter laughed at the idea, then looked to Joy.

"I wanted to tell you this sooner, but I guess now will have to do. I enjoyed staying with you guys and experiencing your 'friendship' without the pain that usually came with it. So, I was wondering... do you think that I could stay and learn more about it?"

Elements looked towards each other at this. At last Twilight spoke.

"Yes, you can stay in Ponyville if you... want to," said Twilight.

The other elements nodded at this while Pinkie shouted with happiness. "Then I'll throw a party to welcome you in Ponyville!"

Winter neighed happily. "I would like that very much! Thank you!"

He suddenly pulled me, the Elements, and TD into a big group hug. Surprisingly, he didn't feel as cold and icy as I expected, but almost like an actual pony. TD laughed aloud.

"Looks like you just made a new friend," he remarked, "Congrats!"

"Hmm... now that's something really surprising." I said and then looked towards the horizon.

"What's the matter Joy?" Bubble asked me as she sat beside me,"Something bothering you?"

"It's just I was thinking, what do they want me for? And what's with Atlis that robot was speaking of? Is it connected to me?"

Bubble made a thoughtful expression at this and then she spoke.

"Tell you what?" Bubble said, "I didn't share any kiss with you today. Let me make it this up to you."

"But..."

She silenced me by pulling me in a passionate kiss, nuzzling my neck with her hoof gently. She parted her lips after a minute or two, looking towards me with a blush-filled smile on her face.

"Feeling better?" She asked

I looked towards her stunned for a sec before responding to her question. I pulled her into another kiss and nuzzled her mane the way she likes the most. After parting our lips, we looked towards each other for a moment.

"Does this give answer to your question?" I asked.

"It certainly did," She replied.

TD made a mock expression of disgust and said with obvious playfulness, "I need to wash that image out of my eyes."

His eyes suddenly turned into puppet eyes, which he detached from his face, then he stuck them in his mouth and rolled them around for a bit. After a few seconds, he spat them out and slapped them back on his face. When he pulled his hands away, they had reverted back to his normal eyes.

"Ah! That's much better!" TD exclaimed, still joking around.

Bubble and I chuckled at this. That really was the best wedding ever. Just then, I saw a portal appear nearby and TD's Twilight was standing beside it.

"Guess that's our ride," TD stated. He then turned to me with a friendly smile. "Remember, if you ever need help or if you just want to visit, give me a call. See you later, Prince Joy Star."

I had plenty of unanswered questions to ask, but I instead smiled and shook his hand.

"Goodbye, TD," I said.

TD turned to the portal and stood beside his Twilight. They both gave us all a final wave goodbye, then disappeared into the portal to return to their Equestria.

**end of Joy's pov***

* * *

Princess Celestia looked towards her son and his fianceé while she was sitting on a cloud along with Luna. Celestia was happy to see her son safe and sound. But she couldn't ignore the fact that the entities who attacked Equestria was there because of him. She had to think about the protection of her people, but she was also a mother and she really loved her son more than anything.

"Tia," Luna called her out of her head, "They truly look like a beautiful couple."

"Yeah, Lulu. They're a sweet couple. My son and his bubbly filly friend." Celestia awed at this, "I'm just..." she thought for a while then decided to not say what she was going to say. "I'm really happy for them."

"Well, looks like there will be another Royal wedding this year," Luna said.

"I'm certain about that," Celestia replied with a giggle.

* * *

Far from Equestria and even Equus, in a dark corner within another realm, a cloaked figure was looking towards a stained glass image.

"If they think they won," It said, "They'll have to think once again!" It looked towards the small mirror in front of him.

"I've found the one who'll bring us to our destiny. My master."

* * *

 **This is probably signaling to the final battle. No wait, it IS signaling to the final battle!**

 **Special thanks to _Admirer Boy_ for collabing with me on this, especially in regards to Joy Star, Bubble, and their friends!**

 **Edit: the song used is actually from the Season 2 finale of MLP FiM, for those that don't know.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! Cya next time!**

 **Peace!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Yep. This is gonna be a thing for quite a while. But hey! I like doing collabs.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

TD gazed up at the horizon from the balcony of the Castle of Friendship, watching the sunrise as Princess Celestia raised the sun from her castle far away in Canterlot. He always had enjoyed watching sunrises and sunsets in Equestria, especially since both were so beautiful to behold. This world was so beautiful, so much more colorful than his own world. He honestly felt like Dorthy from The Wizard of OZ every time he gazed about the landscape, no matter how many times he had seen it before. But today he wasn't looking out at the sky solely to enjoy the view. This time, his mind was troubled with matters beyond Equus. Or rather, his Equus. For TD was thinking about a certain human child who had been raised and adopted in an alternate version of Equus.

Joy Star, the Prince of Equestria and adoptive son of Princess Celestia. Recently, that kid had gained some rather persistent enemies who threatened to end the life of the Prince to exterminate those who could oppose their rule. What TD didn't understand was that some robots belonging to an old enemy o his own had been helping him. It was puzzling for him, as his enemy was supposed to have died long ago; long before traveling to Equestra, when he had first become the Terror of Dimensions. TD's best guess was that Joy's enemy must've hired the robots as mercenaries and used them in his armies, but he couldn't know for sure.

TD sighed. Well, whether or not he knew the answers, TD had made an oath as a Guardian of Existence to protect Joy Star and his world. And when he made a promise...

"You intend to keep it," a voice said from behind, almost as if the one who had spoken had known what I was writing and decided to finish for me. TD smiled and turned around to address the mare who had spoken.

"So you _can_ break the Fourth Wall," he said teasingly to Twilight as she approached him. He was in his pony form currently, so they were just about the same size, although Twilight had grown slightly taller than him over the years. She flashed him a smile of her own.

"Living with a being of Chaos can do that to you," she said kindly. She then noticed the faraway look in her husband's eyes, a detail only she could've seen. For TD's sunglasses were not on his face, so his draconic eyes were visible to all onlookers. Normally, his eyes looked rather intimidating, but Twilight was one of the few that could see the true expressions his eyes gave off.

"You're thinking about Joy again, aren't you?" she asked.

TD nodded. "I have to go back. I made a promise Twi, so you must understand."

"I do," she replied, "and that's why I'm up this early. I'm coming with you."

TD hesitated for a second, then gave in. "I can't say 'no' to such a beautiful face. Besides, I admittedly could use the help."

Twilight smiled and walked over to him, holding on tight. TD closed his eyes and concentrated on building up the energy needed to make the jump to Joy's world. But right when he made the jump, he felt another presence nearby get caught in the magical pull.

"Oops!" he said.

"What?" Twilight asked as they traveled through the vortex TD had pulled them into. TD gave her a sheepish smile.

"I think we accidentally pulled Tracker in with us."

Twilight was silent for a moment, then sighed.

"Well, let's hope that it's nighttime in Joy's universe..."

* * *

**Joy's POV**

"How could you be so careless?!" I yelled at a royal guard, who was the gate-keeper of my mother's chamber. "Your fault could cause my mother's...!" I shouted as my magic was being charged. "How could you?"  
"Joy, stop shouting at the royal guard immediately!" Mother said standing beside me, "I'm standing in front of you. I'm alright. You can be calm now."

"I couldn't be more thankful that you're okay," I said, "But things could be turned out worse."

It was almost midnight when something tried to assassinate my mother. Apparently, one of those tin cans had come back and managed to sneak by the guards, despite what little cover there was in the hallways or the fact that he entered through the door to Mother's room. That in and of itself told me how incapable the guard was, because the guard literally stood right in front of the door to prevent anyone from entering. The robot had been that close at killing her. The only thing that stopped him was the arrival of Cold Winter, who had been trailing the robot from a distance. He had phased through the walls just in time to stop the killing blow, and turned the robot into scrap in the process. I was thankful that my Windago friend had been around to help, but I was still shaking in remembrance of the event. Had he been a second slower...

"But they didn't," Mother said, "Besides, it's still night. You should go back to your room."

Mother gestured towards Bubble, who's eyes were still opened by the shock and reddened by the lack of sleep.

"But what if they came back?" I asked as Bubble yawned in reassurance, "How can I trust you for guarding the door?" I looked towards the royal guard  
"I will not make any mistake this time and guard the gate at any cost."

"Okay," I said as I looked towards the my Windago friend. "Winter, can you keep an eye on the surroundings of the palace?"

He nighed reassuringly, "Sure."

"Thanks. I know I can trust you," I said as I gave a glance to the royal guard who saluted me in response.

"You see Joy?" Mother said, "Now go to your room and take a rest."

Bubble nodded lightly at this, "Thank you... Princess."

So I and Bubble head back to our room and lied on the bed. Bubble yawned and put her front leg on my chest.

"Bubble..." I saw she was already asleep. I didn't blame her, she was really tired.

"Sleep well," I said softly as I lay back down on the bed. As for me, I couldn't think something else than my mother. Just then, I heard a thud on the floor outside my door and a child's voice said in confusion, "How'd I get here?"

A few seconds later, I heard a knock on my door.

"Is anyone still awake?" the voice whispered.

I turned on the lamp and slowly got out of the bed. Bubble was still asleep. I went towards the door.

"Who's there?" I asked.

"My name's Tracker," the voice said, "Can you help me out? I don't know where I am."

I opened the door revealing a colt with grey coat and black mane. I didn't know him so it was no less than a surprise that he was at my door.

"How did you get here?" I said aloud and maybe woke Bubble up in this process.

"What..." I heard her saying.

"I'm not sure really," the colt said, "but I'm willing to bet that it had something to do with one of Dad's spells."

He suddenly looked over at a mirror behind me and muttered, "Oh crud." Wondering what he meant, I turned to look at what he was referring to, only to feel a chill down my spine at what I saw.

He had no reflection.

"How come you've..." I was too amazed to ask him.

"My sweetie... who's at the door?" Bubble yawned.

"Who are you...?" I was really amazed. Just then, I heard a voice from the direction of the throne room. It was Twilight's voice.

"Tracker!" she called in a whispered yell. Then another voice spoke, a male voice which I was familiar with.

"Shh! Twi, you're gonna wake someone up!"

"William, our son is missing and you're expecting me to not call for him?"

Tracker looked up and in the direction of the voices.

"Dad? Mom?" he asked in confusion.

 _He just said mom and dad?_ I thought. _That could only mean..._

"Hey, little colt are you the son of... Princess Twilight."

"Well, it's technically an adoptive relationship, but yes," Tracker stated.

"That explains much," I said as Bubble gave another call.

"I think I heard Twilight," She said, still half asleep.

Just then, TD and Princess Twilight appeared from down the halls and spotted us.

"Tracker!" Princess Twilight shouted, rushing over to him and bringing him into a big hug, which the colt returned just as quickly. In the mirror, it looked as if Princess Twilight wasn't hugging anything. TD smiled and stepped over to me.

"Hey Joy," he said, "Sorry for arriving at this hour, but dimensional time jumps don't allow for much flexibility on the hours of day you arrive in."

"No problem at all," I said, "Actually, it's good to see you here."

TD shrugged. "What can say? When I promise something, I intend to keep it."

Just then, Bubble came out of bed towards us. She saw Twilight standing with the little colt and smiled.

"Princess Twilight," she said, "TD..." she shrugged and chuckled. "well, looks like too much for having a nap then."

By now, Tracker and Twilight had finished their reunion with each other and Twilight asked, "How'd you end up getting here?"

"Well, I was walking up to the balcony this morning- or morning back home- and then I suddenly found myself here."

"So you DID get caught in the blast radius," TD remarked. "My apologies, son."

"No need," Tracker replied, "It was an accident."

"He's quite well mannered," Bubble said as she nuzzled the foal with her hoof. I smiled to see this. Then I looked towards TD.

"It's really good to see you." I then looked towards the foal, "It's good to see you too." I said, though I was still amazed that he didn't have a reflection. What kind of creature had no shadow?

"Yeah, about the reflection thing," TD explained, as if hearing my thoughts, "You've heard of vampires, right? Because that's what Tracker is."

"Guilty," Tracker said with a sheepish grin. Princess Twilight just chuckled. Bubble backed off a bit as she heard vampire.

"A vampire!?" Vampires are creatures who lived upon other creatures blood so her fear make sense. "I hope you're not hungry little foal." Bubble said with a sly chuckle.

"Don't be rude Bubs..." I said as she gave me look of disbelief.

"Sorry, but.." she said, "he's a vampire so..." She was really scared.

Tracker giggled. "It's alright. I'm not hungry, and even then I'm pretty good at controlling my hunger instincts. Besides, blood isn't my only diet."

"It's true," Princess Twilight added, "Believe it or not, he can actually eat the color red. Anything red, he can suck the color out of it for food."

"I taught him that trick, because I was once a vampire myself," TD stated, "However, it was a proud moment of mine, so I won't go into details."

"That's a relief," Bubble said.

"Well, as I was saying, I'm really glad that you're here. Some recent events have worried me badly," I said.

"Like what?" TD asked. He then looked up and said, "Wait, hold that thought."

TD pulled out a large set of papers stapled together and started reading through it. It looked like the script to a play. On the front of the first page, I caught the title: Joy Star: The Final Days.

"Lemme see," TD said to himself aloud. "Ah! Here it is. Scene One, Act One. Celestia is almost assassinated in her sleep, but a certain Windago saves her life." The script suddenly burst into flames in his hands and turned to ashes, which then disappeared in a small flash of light. "That would explain the security."

He just narrated the recent event like we're in a scene of movie.

'Right however, he knows what just had happened.' I thought.

"Yeah, somewhat exactly what you said," I replied with confusion, "I still don't understand how can you do that. Anyways, this matter has worried me. My enemies are trying to hurt my family now. That's what terrifies me." I shivered once again.

Bubble looked towards me and then towards TD and said, "It's a good thing that Winter was here at right time."

"Indeed," TD said, "But I am assuming that your concern has to do with what may happen if he can't be around to save them himself. So, what do you plan on doing about that?"

"I'm... really not sure. I was certain that my magical abilities will be enough to protect my family," I said as my fist was charged and began to glow along with my eyes, "But it feels like my current magic is... unable to do so..." With this, the glow vanished. "My magic is useless if I can't even protect my beloved friends and family," I said with a little frustration.

"Calm down Joy," Bubble said and looked towards TD. "You do know what to do. Don't you?"

"I already promised to protect this world, so I will lend a hand when possible," TD said, "but I can't be in two places at once...not without a hassle occurring."

"I could help, but I am only usually active at night," Tracker stated.

"Have you ever considered learning more advanced magic?" Princess Twilight asked me.

"Well, I asked mom once learning about advanced magic. She taught me a little bit, such as long distance teleportation, and using magic to attack and defend, but when I said I wanted to go to a higher level, she denied me and said that it's dangerous." I replied.

"Because that was dangerous!" Bubble said, "Don't you remember when you used that banishing spell?"

"To be fair, that's how I got involved in this in the first place," TD noted, "Besides, all magic is dangerous Bubble. Even the kind that seems harmless is dangerous if not used correctly."

"I learned that the hard way when William started training me in magic beyond what I knew," Princess Twilight said. "It's given me a new perspective of magic ever since."

I thought for a while and then looked towards TD with a questioning look.

"You're not willing to teach me higher magic yourself? Are you?"  
Bubble gave me a look of concern. "Tell me you're not saying what I'm thinking you're saying."

"Bubble, I'm saying that I've to protect my family and my friends, and my people at any cost," I replied.

"But..." She protested, "What about your safety?"

"Don't worry, I promise I won't try something crazy."

Bubble didn't answer as I turned back to TD.

"I know it's not very safe... But TD, can you... teach me advanced magic?"

The room suddenly was filled with silence, as everyone minus Bubble looked at me with surprise.

"Oh no," TD said aloud, but not exactly to me. "No! Why? I don't like it when-" He sighed. "But I can't exactly refuse."

TD turned to me with a serious look. His eyes held no joke in them.

"Alright. I'll teach you," he said, "but I will have to explain to Celestia first thing in the morning. Also, you must understand that the magic I can teach you goes beyond what magic is available in Equestria. Some might even say it's forbidden. The risks that come with it are no laughing matter. So before I agree, I must ask you this: Are you absolutely certain that you want to undertake this?"

I was really not sure. I would have to work that out quickly. I looked towards Bubble who for some reason didn't want to say anything. I looked towards TD.

 _What could be happen to mother? Next time he could target anypony else. I'm really out of options_ , I thought.

"I wish... there would a better way... but I'm certain." I said.

Bubble growled sorrowfully, "I hope you know what are you doing."

"Very well," TD said. He then gave me a small smile. "Get some rest, because tomorrow... I'm gonna see what your mother's reaction is."

Princess Twilight nodded them said, "Sleep well, Joy. We'll stand watch with Cold Winter tonight."

Tracker's image suddenly took a different change. His grey coat got much paler, a pair of fangs were seen in his mouth, and a pair of bat wings grew out of his spine. Yet, his eyes remained the same and somehow made me feel more at ease around him. Without another word, the three walked out into the hall to begin their nightly run.

"Joy, are you really sure?" Bubble asked me with great concern.

"I'm... sure," I said, "Don't worry... Everything will be fine."

* * *

Next morning I woke up with determination. I saw that I overslept a little. Bubble was just woke up then.

"Good morning sweetheart." I said.

"Morning Joy." She replied.

I saw that she was still sad. I got up and after refreshing myself with a bath I dressed into my casual clothes.

 _I should go and see TD now._ I thought. _I don't know what mother will say but..._

"Did you sleep well?" I asked Bubble.

She nodded. "I slept fine."

I could tell that she was still troubled, but I didn't pursue it further, as I could hear voices from the throne room. I entered just in time to hear TD finishing his explanation to Mother. His Twilight and Tracker were standing nearby.

"...so, that's why I ask your permission, Celestia," I heard him say with a formal tone. "And if you to know what your son is learning in depth, Twilight can teach you as well if desired. I understand if this scares you, for it scares me a bit too. But if you give your consent, I promise that I will take great care with your son."

I was a little scared about what would mother say knowing her nature. She had noticed me coming in and gave me a quick glance and then looked towards TD again.

"I understand your concerns, and my son's as well," she said, "But learning about advanced magic... I don't think it's something he is ready for or even if he should try it." She paused for a moment, "But looking at some recent circumstances, I may give it another thought." She gave me another glance. "I'd like to see myself what you're gonna teach him."

TD smiled. "I was hoping that you'd show some interest. Twilight- my Twilight and I talked it over, and we agreed that should you accept, she would teach you what I would be teaching Joy, as she already has been taught herself."

Princess Twilight stepped up beside her husband and looked to Mother. "We thought that it would be more convenient if you were taught by another pony while Joy was taught by another human. If you truly wish to undertake this, I am willing to teach you what I know as TD is willing to Teach Joy what he knows."

"Well, technically I won't be teaching him _everything_ I know," TD pointed out, "That would take way too long, and honestly it wouldn't be a smart or safe idea. But I will still be teaching him magic beyond Equestrian magic. If you need time to think on the matter, I can give you that."

Tracker had been watching in silence the whole time, but when he noticed me he gave a small wave. His image had reverted back to his more natural pony form, probably in regards to the daylight shining through the windows. Anypony who hadn't seen him in his other form last night would never have guessed that he was a vampire.

TD walked out of the room along with Tracker and his Twilight as to give mother some space to think about the matter. Then Bubble said to me, "I still don't think it's safe."

I nuzzled her mane. "Don't worry Bubs... everything will be... fine," I said, and went towards Mother. "So you're ready to give me a chance?"

After a moment of silence, she gave me a small nod. I was really happy to know that. She nuzzled my hair with her hoof.

"Thanks mom," I said.

In a while, TD was back into the room along with Princess Twilight and his son.

"So you've made your decision then?" TD asked, as he caused a bag of popcorn to appear out of nowhere and started eating from the bag.

"Yes, certainly," She replied.

And then I got even more excited, but kept myself calm. Though expressions of eagerness was clearly on my face. I was really excited to know different kinds of magic and how I could use them against those who tried to hurt my family. Bubble couldn't help but smile to see the eagerness in my expressions.

"And now you're acting like a six year old," She said.

"Very well," TD stated, "We can begin as soon as you're ready. What do you say tonight after the place is closed up? Unless you have any specific time of day you'd wish to train at?"

Princess Twilight smiled and said, "Anytime is good for us, but whichever is more convenient for you, we'll try to work with it."

Mother looked towards me at this. I thought for a while and said, "Okay... I think evening is fine?"

She gave me a nod at this. "Alright," She said and looked towards TD.

"Okay," TD said, "I'll see you then. Until then, I think Twi and I will be finding something else to do." He looked to Princess Twilight with a smile. "What do you say, my little North Star?"

Princess Twilight gave him a smile. "I was thinking a little flight up above Canterlot."

TD smiled back and his image changed into his Changeling form: a red Changeling drone with orange eyes and yellow wings.

"It's a date then."

They held hooves and suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. Tracker chuckled when he saw them leave.

"That describes me and Screwy in a nutshell," he said aloud.

"Screwy?" I said "You mean Screwball?" I chuckled.

"That's the one," he said with a smile, "'Screwy' is a bit of a pet name given to her by her friends. Not many actually call her Screwball, unless you count Aunt Applejack and Screwy's parents. On that note, I wonder how long it'll take for her to notice that I'm gone back home. Unless time is stopped there?"

Almost as if on cue, an explosion of confetti appeared in the room and revealed the filly in question. I was amazed to see how correct my assumptions had been.

"Whew!" Screwball exclaimed, "Jumping across worlds is harder than I thought."

"Screwy!" Tracker shouted joyfully, giving her a big hug, which the filly returned just as quickly.

 _He actually likes Screwball._ I thought. I looked towards them with awe. It reminded me of the time when me and Bubble were that age. Only we both weren't aware that we liked each other that much... Anyways I remembered something important. I looked towards Bubble and blushed before saying what I was going to say.

"Bubble, we've nothing to do till evening." I said, "So, I was thinking about we should also spend some time... I mean quality time somewhere." I said "What you say?"

She was delighted. "Yeah, it's been a while since we came out of palace after that invasion." She giggled. "I'll chose the place."

I smiled. "You're the boss."

And then we went outside the palace, waving a hand to mother. She waved her hoof in response.

* * *

"Wow! That was fast," TD said when we walked back into the throne room that evening. Only it was much different from when we had left it earlier this morning. This time, it seemed to have gotten much larger on the inside. TD watched us approach while pointing out the improvements.

"Yes, it's bigger on inside. Yes, I made the walls indestructible for these sessions. Yes, I have no idea how I got here. And yes, there is a vampire on the ceiling with a chaotic filly."

Upon saying that last part, he pointed to the roof height above us, where Tracker was hanging upside down on the ceiling in his vampiric form with Screwball beside him. I think I was more confused than excited that time. I looked towards them in wonder. Bubble was somewhat amused to see this. Then I shook my head a little and looked towards TD.

"So how we gonna start this training?" I asked, "I'm feeling so ready for this."

TD smiled. "For starters, we'll try some basics. Or rather, basics in this line of training. The first will be to test you against what some would call 'the Dark Arts.' We shall start with a disarming spell, something useful when going up against an opponent with a weapon."

TD walked towards the center of the room and shouted, "Fiik Lo Sah!" A ghostly image of himself appeared before us in the room and held up a sword. TD smiled and brought up a hand.

"This is a little spell I learned at a school for wizards," he said. "Watch carefully." TD pointed a hand at the figure and shouted, "Expelliarmus!"

A burst of magic erupted from his hand and struck the weapon of the ghost, causing it to suddenly fly out of his hands. TD smiled and looked to Joy as the image retrieved its weapon.

"Wanna give it a shot?" he asked.

 _That doesn't look so difficult._ I thought.

"Sure, definitely," I said, "What... do I have to do again?"

TD chuckled. "Stand before your opponent, in this case the ghost, and speak the spell while using your hand as a means to direct the blast towards your opponent. If you'd like me to be more specific, when you use the spell, think of what you want it to do when you speak it. Now, give it a try."

"Okay!" I brought myself in front of that ghost, "I'm ready."

I directed my hand towards that ghost figure and tried to do the spell. _As I'll do the spell, the weapon will be flying away from his hands._ I tried to imagine this and shouted.

"Expelliarmus!" but nothing seemed to happen. "Expelliarmus!" again nothing. Then I looked towards TD with a little embarrassment. "Why it isn't working?"

TD laughed. "You haven't applied the meaning of the spell to yourself. It's hard to explain, but basically every spell you use forces you to take on the nature of each spell. For example, what do you suppose the meaning of a shielding spell is? What purpose do you hope to accomplish when you cast it?"

"I hope to create a strong energy bubble around myself," I said as I made a shield around me, "It's that simple in this case." Then I made the shield vanish and looked towards TD. "But where I'm mistaking here?"

TD shook his head with amusement. "The answer to my question is this: you create the shield with the purpose to protect yourself or others from harm."

"Oh, yeah!" I smiled sheepishly "That... purpose..." I face-palmed. "I get it now."

"Go my sweetie!" Bubble shouted to cheer me on, "You can do it."

I understood what he meant and was ready to give it another try.

 _Okay, prepare yourself Joy._ I said to myself. "I'm ready once again," I said as I directed my hand towards the ghost once again. "Here goes...! Expelliarmus!"

I felt my hand launching a beam towards his weapon. I closed my eyes when it was about to hit this. "Did I do it?"

I heard the sound of metal hitting the floor as I said this, then I heard TD clapping his hands.

"Congrats, Joy Star. You have successfully disarmed the opponent."

Stunned by what I heard, I opened my eyes and saw that what he said was true. The ghost was now without his weapon. I felt like jumping for joy in my victory. And I really did jump with joy, no matter how childlike it looked.

"Way to go my sweetie!" shouted Bubble.

"I did it!" I exclaimedc "I did it!" Then I looked towards TD once again. "What's next?"

TD smiled. "Now, we proceed to phase two."

 **-Unknown** **time skip-**

"Focus!" TD called to me, "Feel the power of the Thuu'm within you. Let it's meaning course through you and apply it to your Shout. Now, again."

TD summoned another practice dummy for me to destroy and waited for my attack.

"Right!" I directed my attention towards the dummy. "Fus Roh Dah!"

The blast from my mouth hit the dummy and it flew through the air, shattering upon hitting the ground. I breathed heavily as I did this.

"Excellent!" TD shouted in approval, "You have proven mastery over the Unrelenting Force Shout. Now, let's see if you can take on another challenge."

TD walked over to a wall and changed his image into a kind of dragon. He breathed fire onto the wall, then stepped aside to show me what he had done. In the place where he had struck the wall with his fiery breath, there was a glowing rune of some kind. He turned back into human form and motioned for me to come closer to the wall.

"Is it safe?" Bubble asked.

TD laughed. "As safe as he makes it."

I came closer to the wall and looked towards him. "Now what?"

Suddenly, energy coursed out of it and flowed into me. As it did, a single word came into my mind.

Yol.

TD smiled. "You've taken on yet another Shout, my friend. But now, we must activate it. Normally, we'd need a dragon soul, but I can give you the activation without one."

TD closed his eyes and the energy from before coursed from out of his body and into my own. I now felt as if that word had more power to it than before.

"Now, try using it on me," TD said. "Go on. It won't hurt me. I'm immune to fire attacks."

I nodded and directed my attention towards him.

"Yol!" I shouted.

A burst of fire came from my mouth and struck him, enveloping him in flames for a few seconds. TD smiled.

"Good," he said, "Now, I'm sure you must wonder what the meaning behind this Shout is?"

I was so stunned to speak so I just nodded in reply.

"Yol translates as 'fire.' Change given form. Power at its most primal. However, power is inert without action and choice. Think of this whenever you use this Shout Joy: What will you burn, and what will you spare?"

I was silent for a while, processing what he just said, and then I understood his meaning.

"I get it," I said, "I can control what I destroy and what not to destroy. Right?" I asked.

"Exactly," TD nodded. "Now, let's see you try it on a target that isn't immune."

TD summoned another dummy and gestured towards it.

"Alright." I said, now directing my attention towards the dummy.

"Yol!" I shouted and as I did, I saw a blast of fire from my mouth hit the dummy, burning it to ashes.

"I did it!" I said as I looked towards Bubble who hadn't spoke while.

"I'm glad and all..." she paused for a while then said, "But I was a little scared when you used that spell."

"Oh, don't be afraid my sweetheart. I'm alright."

She giggled. "I know but... I just can't help it."

"It's a bit scary, I admit," TD stated, "but you get used to it eventually. Now, let's continue shall we?"

 **-Unknown time skip-**

"Now you may wonder why I have your Mother here for this one," TD said to me as he got us assembled. Princess Twilight, Screwball and Tracker were also present. TD continued.

"Well, this next one may be a bit...hazardous, so I'm taking some precautions. Feel free to blast me into a wall if it gets out of hand, Tia." He seemed to mentally kick himself at the last one and looked to Celestia apologetically. "Sorry, I'm used to calling my Celestia by that name. She likes it, because it takes some pressure off of being a Princess."

"It's okay." She said "So, you were saying..."

TD looked over at Joy again. He seemed to be both proud and a bit worried as well.

"You have shown great potential and have become an amazing pupil. However, I have saved this part of the training for last, due to how dangerous is can be." TD looked at me very seriously. "You have learned how to defend yourself against dark magics and arts, but today I shall be testing you on a different approach: today, you will learn to harness dark magic against your opponent."

A dreadful silence seemed to fill the entire room when he said that. Princess Twilight seemed to have a grave expression, and Screwball hugged Tracker tightly as they held each other closely.

I looked towards mother and Bubble who looked a little or more worried. "Alright Mom, sweetheart. Wish me luck." I said and looked towards TD. "I'm ready TD."

"I'd like to demonstrate the first one today," TD stated. "It's an old trick that allows you to take a beam fired at you and then send it back. Twilight, if you may."

Princess Twilight walked in front of TD and readied herself. TD then summoned a beam of darkness and fired it at her. The beam connected with her horn and she seemed to concentrate hard. Her eyes turned a poisonous green and streams of smoke were around them. She then fired a dark beam herself at TD, who deflected it off a shield he created. Princess Twilight's eyes then returned to normal afterwards. Bubble's eyes were wide opened at this. It was hard for her to believe. She had never seen two beings fighting together using dark magic, so she was really surprised.

"That... that... that was horrible," She managed to say.

Mother's expression was more worried than scared. She looked towards me with only one question in her eyes.

"My son, are you sure you're prepared for this?"

I gave them a calm expression in response and nodded my head.

"Okay Joy, stand in front of me," TD said. I did as I was told, then he continued. "I will fire another dark beam at you, and you will try to harness it for yourself and use it against me. However, be warned. Much like that helmet that Cold Winter once wore, it will try to corrupt you once you attempt to harness it yourself."

TD waited for a moment after speaking, then fired a beam of darkness at me. I extended my hands towards the beam. As it touched my hand, I felt my mind filled with anger, grief, and sorrow. I was feeling full of rage, but I had to focus myself. I soothed myself and focused on the light which had saved me from the corruption of dark magic once before. Then I focused all that energy once again and fired this towards TD. TD deflected the beam and smiled.

"Wow. That honestly went much smoother than I thought it would. Congrats!"

Everyone from his Equestria cheered me in congratulations as well. I felt a little overwhelmed at this.

"Well, thanks..."

Bubble suddenly knocked me down with a hug before I could notice.

"Oh thank goodness! You don't know how worried I was about you my sweetie!"

I chuckled lightly at this. "Yeah, I guess I really don't know sometimes."

She released me and giggled as well.

"Ah Bubble, I want to get up now," I said with a sly smile. She smiled ironically and let me get up as I said this.

"Okay?" She said.

"Okay," I replied.

TD and Princess Twilight giggled at the two of us, then TD spoke again.

"Well, this is the easy part, believe it or not. The harder part is to create dark magic yourself. And trust me when I say this, it probably be best that you don't know how to do that. However, there is one that I can show you, if permitted."

I looked towards mother who was a little bit or more skeptical of this.

"Alright TD. You're permitted to show us that spell. But whether I'll allow my son to learn that or whether I won't, that is my own concern." She said, and I knew she was more serious than she'd ever been. To be honest, the only time when I saw her that much serious was when she came to know... anyways, so TD was permitted to show us that magic.

TD looked up again. "So this one, instead of letting go of your anger and hatred, you instead embrace it temporarily to channel the attack. Anger and hatred is weapon you can harness, but you must leave to control it. Twilight will demonstrate."

TD walked a ways away from Princess Twilight and shouted, "Fiik Lo Sah!" A ghostly image appeared and stood at the ready. Princess Twilight focused again, and her eyes took on the same change as before with TD's dark blast. Only this time, her horn was glowing with darkness. After a second, she fired a beam of darkness at the ghost, who disintegrated upon getting hit. Her eyes then returned to normal and she gave a satisfied smile.

 _Uh oh,_ I thought as I looked towards mother's expression. She was seriously against letting me learn this spell and I could tell this only by looking at her face. Still I tried and asked her.

"Can I-" A look of anger silenced me. Then she took a sigh and looked towards TD.

"I'm not trying to be rude but... I don't think it'd be safe for him." She looked towards me after saying that.

"Suit yourself," TD said, "but before I take 'no' for an answer, I should warn you that he may perform this spell accidentally now. Because he's been exposed to dark magic, necessary though it was, it's possible for him to to conjure that spell without trying in a fight. The only difference is that if he did it here, he'd learn to control it better. However, I won't force you into complying. If you're still against him using it, then I won't push any further."

She felt badly surprised at this. She was trying to not to show her frustration as TD made her realize this fact. Bubble once again looked towards TD with an angry stare.

"And you're telling us that now!" Bubble shouted as mother gestured her to remain calm. She felt a bit offended but did what she was told.

"Alright," Mother said with a serious expression, "I don't think we have any other options now. But before you do... Bubble, will you be a dear and call Princess Luna?" Bubble nodded and went towards the castle's balcony.

"What's Lulu have to do with this?" TD asked, then suddenly faceplamed himself. "Wrong Luna!"

"The best part is, even back home she hates being called that," Screwball said with a chuckle.

"Well, you don't know everything about my dear son," She said, "You see, he has a little issue." I looked away in embarrassment. "Sometimes, when he gets angry, not even I can calm him down and in this situation he can... be really violent." She looked down "So much, that even his own magic can hurt him. So," she gestured with her hoof, "a sleep spell from Lulu is really useful in such cases."

"Mom, I'm trying to control this okay?" I huffed.

"Still, the risk is even more with the dark magic," She remarked.

TD smiled. "I believe I've seen his 'issue' first-hand, actually. I'll let Luna come in, but it wasn't necessary. I happen to be really good at hypnotism myself. So much so, that even the strong of will and mind can't resist."

"It's true," Princess Twilight replied. "I know because he tried it on me once. And the doctors claimed that I couldn't be hypnotized before he tried it."

"It's good thing, though I'm calling Luna because he has unusual attachment with his aunt." She giggled. "She don't even need to force the spell on him."

TD nodded at Mother, then looked to me. "In all honesty Joy, my hope is that with the exception of this lesson, you will never have to use this spell. But for the sake of the off-chance that such a time does occur, we'll be trying it now. Are you ready?"

Then I saw as aunt Luna along with Bubble entered the room. She stood beside mother who briefly explained the situation to her. I looked towards TD and nodded.

"I'm ready," I said

"Okay then," TD said, "Now, listen carefully. I want you to focus on the anger and rage inside you for a brief moment. When you find it, let it out as a concentrated blast at me. Afterwards, you'll have to let go of it all and bring yourself back. It's tricky, but if you follow that secret I taught you, it should be much easier. Ready? Go!"

 _Get angry intentionally. What are the things I can get easily angry at. I've to think about this._ I thought as I thought of something to get myself angry. Suddenly I saw the trigger. As I saw that I forcefully focused myself on it. Soon I started to breath heavily along with making low roars. I forced all my rage and anger in my hands and directed them towards TD.

"Get ready!" I roared as I blasted a dark energy beam at him. As expected, TD deflected the beam with relative ease and then said, "Okay, now let it go! And no, readers, that's not meant to be a Frozen reference!"

"Not now, William!" Princess Twilight shouted, but her voice sounded far away. I closed my eyes and breathed heavily focusing on another thought to calm myself down. My rage started to get ceased away slowly as I come to knees feeling really exhausted.

"I did it?" I asked.

TD looked to me, then laughed and came over to me.

"You not only did it, but you knocked it out of the park!" he said while laughing, "That's probably the fastest I've seen anyone grasp that concept! Well done!"

 _Nothing can sooth me better than the memory of our first date._ I smiled bashfully at TD's remark as Bubble, Princess Twilight and others from TD's universe cheered for me.

"You did it my sweetie!" Bubble said aloud, "You did it!"

"Well done, Joy Star," Princess Twilight said.

"Whahooo!" Screwball and Tracker shouted, cheering excitedly.

"Thanks my friend." I said as I yawned, "So, are we done now?"

TD smiled and looked to Mother. "Yes, I believe so. All that's left now is graduation. But that's for another day."

"I agree," Princess Twilight replied, "Besides, he looks beat."

"Yeah!" Screwball and Tracker shouted together, "For the rest of the day, we party!"

The two high-hoofed each other, then suddenly yelped as if they had gotten shocked. They both gave a sheepish smile.

"Forgot about that," Tracker muttered. Screwball just giggled.

"Forgot about what?" I asked as Bubble and I gave Tracker and Screwball the same curious look. Tracker looked at me and seemed to be somewhat embarrassed.

"Well, you see vampires have rather... restrictive laws in regards to mating. Turns out, Screwy is what you might call my soulmate, or future mate. So, as a result, I have to abide by a lot of codes. The most common being that I can't so much as lay a hoof on her without her permission."

"Oh," I nodded in understanding, "I understand that I guess."

"I should probably fix that," Screwball said with a chuckle. She then looked to Tracker and said with playful dramatics, "You have permission to highhoof me whenever you please."

Tracker smiled. "That makes it easier."

"Aren't they a sweet couple?" Bubble said.

"Yep, really sweet." I yawned once again.

"Why don't you two try to get a nap now?" Aunt Luna said, "Especially you dear nephew, you look really tired."

I nodded and looked towards TD. "I think that's it for me now."

"Of course," TD said kindly, "Get some sleep, everyone. We're all going to need it. Although, for the record, I would appreciate it fir you didn't show up in my dreams tonight, Lulu."

TD gave Luna a playful smirk when he did that. Screwball giggled while Tracker just gave a sigh.

"Oh dear," Princess Twilight muttered.

Aunt Luna gave TD a confused look and looked towards Mom. Mom shrugged and giggled at this.

"You'll get used to this," I said, "Hopefully."

With this, me and Bubble went towards our room. I was really tired so I was gonna take a really relaxing slumber. Bubble seemed a little tired as well.

"You're feeling fine?" She asked.

"Yes... just a little tired," I said

After getting into comfortable night clothes we both lay on our bed to have a good night sleep. I hoped.

 **Sometime later...**

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a terrified scream. Looking around, I noticed that Bubble wasn't anywhere in the room. As I was still trying to register what had happened, Tracker suddenly flew through my door as if thrown. He had changed back to his more vampiric form, so his fangs and wings were visible and he seemed to have just gotten into a fight with someone. Shortly after, Screwball rushed into the room and got down beside him, a worried expression on her face.

"What's happening here?" I asked loudly, "Where's Bubble?"

"Down there!" Tracker shouted, pointing down the hall he had just come from. He stood to his feet again as Screwball let out a sigh of relief for his sake. I jumped out of the bed and rushed down towards the hall. In my heart I was only praying for one thing.

 _Please, may Bubble be safe and sound._

Down the hall, I saw the last thing I wanted to see: several of those robots together with Bubble in their clutches. They had done something to her that made her unable to cast magic. I soon saw what it was when I looked closer. Her horn was broken off.

"What did you do to her?!" I shouted as I felt rage building inside me. I rushed towards them to save Bubble. "I swear by my Mother you'll suffer for causing her pain!" I shouted and charged my magic.

The robots looked to me as one of them walked forward with a staff.

"Taste the darkness, boy!" the robot shouted and fired a beam of darkness from the staff. As soon as I saw it, time seemed to slow and I could hear TD's words in the back of my mind.

 _"...It's an old trick that allows you to take a beam fired at you and then send it back...try to harness it for yourself and use it..."_

I extended my hand towards the beam and as it touched my hand I roared with full of my rage and diverted the dark beam back towards the robot as if to throw a ball while playing baseball, along with some extra rage of my own. The only thing I felt was my rage and the wetness in my eyes due to Bubble's hurt condition. The robot clearly didn't expect that from me, and shattered upon impact from the beam. The rest of the robots were confused, but they still kept their grip on Bubble.

"Stand down, Joy Star," the robots said, "Or else your... friend gets it."

Thankfully, I wouldn't have to worry about the choice they offered me, because sneaking up behind them was TD himself, who gave me a "shh!" gesture as he got closer.

I just nodded and looked towards almost unconcious Bubble. I looked towards the robot and said through gritted teeth, "I'm standing right here. You will not hurt her or else..."

The robot laughed. "Or what? You gonna kill me? Brave of you boy, but there's nothing that you can do at this moment. As for us, we will be taking something of yours that belongs to us.

"Fine by me," TD said from behind, catching their attention. Suddenly, a burst of energy from TD knocked them all away, even forcing them to release their hold on Bubble. TD then caused a glowing shovel to appear out of nowhere and smacked the nearest one with it hard. The robot's head shattered and TD said, "Keep the change, ya filthy animal."

Using an acceleration spell, I rushed towards Bubble and grabbed her in my arms, taking her away from the robots. She seemed to recognize my hold and opened her eyes slightly. Then suddenly she groaned in pain.

"Joy, my head hurts so much!"

My heart was shattered to pieces as I heard her cry.

"Bubble?" TD asked as he came over to us. One of the robots attempted to stand, but a blast from TD's hand destroyed it as well. Surprisingly, TD didn't even look at the robot when he did. By now, Screwball and Tracker had joined us, along with Princess Twilight, Cold Winter, Aunt Luna, and Mother. Princess Twilight looked at what was left of Bubble's horn.

"Oh, Bubble!" she said sympathetically. Screwball looked at it with a horrified expression.

"As a pony who's never had a horn before, that's just cruel," she said aloud.

"Well, it's also the main reason Chrysalis and Sombra aren't coming back anytime soon back home," TD replied. The response was a glare from Princess Twilight. "Sorry, that's not helping."

"You think..." I wiped my tears, "YOU THINK THAT'S A JOKE!?" I shouted very loud as I looked towards TD. My eyes started to glow red.

"She lost her beautiful horn!" I sniffled "They torn apart her horn!" I said even louder, "You've any idea how much pain she'd felt when they did that brutality?!"

"CALM DOWN," TD said to me, as he used his command spell. I did what he said, but I didn't want to. However, when I looked at him, I noticed no smile in his expression or eyes.

"That was never my intention and I don't see it as a joke," TD said, "Relax. Bubble's horn will be restored."

"How?" I asked as I wiped tears on cheeks "How you'll do this?"

Bubble groaned in pain once again. "That hurts."

I nuzzled her mane to sooth her to some extent.

"You'll be fine my sweetheart," I said.

"I can do it, like so," TD said. He pulled a wand of some kind out and did a small chant:

 _Salaca doo la menthicka boo la bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!_  
 _Put 'em together and what have you got?_  
 _Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!_

As soon as he finished, a bit of magic struck the spot where Bubble's horn had been and to my amazement, the horn grew back as if it had never been gone.

Bubble sighed in relief when it happened. She opened her eyes completely and gave a me brief stare before kissing me, taking me into a crushing hug and broke into tears.

"That was so horrible!" She cried, "They're ruthless beasts!"

I stopped holding back as well and wrapped my arms around her torso and broke to tears as well.

"I'm glad you're fine." I whined as well, "I was so scared."

Just then, I heard a beam charging behind me as one of the robots attempted to fire off one last shot. It never came. A blur of grey suddenly rushed by and smashed the robot into pieces, that figure soon revealing itself as Tracker. The look of anger in his eyes were rather intimidating in his vampiric form.

"Enough is enough!" he shouted, before calming down. He looked to me and gave me a smile. Screwball gave him a big hug right afterwards, which he quickly returned.

"I've more respect for Vampire Ponies now," Bubble said as she released me from the hug. She was smiling while wiping her tears. I wiped my tears as well.

"Thank you very much Tracker," I said. I then looked towards TD and showed a little guilt. "I'm sorry my friend. I should thank you for those lessons and instead I was yelling at you. I'm really sorry, but I was really worried about Bubble."

TD smiled. "It's okay. You were concerned about your loved one's wellbeing. I have felt that way myself whenever Twilight was in a dire situation."

Princess Twilight smiled at us both when he said that. I just smiled back in response. Everything was seemingly fine now and I was more than happy that my dear Bubble was alright now. Not that I'd have loved her lesser if she'd lost her horn; I loved her anyway. But I'd be never be able to forgive myself if that would happen. TD let us enjoy the moment for a little while longer, then stood to his feet and said, "Well, that was fun! But, I'm afraid we've got to run. Zach and Diana will be wondering where we've gone, and I'm pretty sure Discord would want to know why you almost missed breakfast, Screwball."

Screwball just giggled and leaned against Tracker for a moment longer as TD started conjuring up the portal that would take them home.

"Okay." I said, extending my hand for handshake. "Thanks once again."

"No problem Joy," TD replied.

Bubble looked towards TD and said, "Yeah, Thank you so much TD, and Princess Twilight."

"Oh sure. **Now** she likes me again," TD said with a chuckle. He then stepped into the portal with his family and the portal closed behind them.

***end of Joy's POV***

That dark figure in its territory away from Equus grunted once again with anger.

"How did we lose again?" It asked a humanoid robot in front of it.

"That boy, he even can harness the dark magic now," the robot said, "And then there is TD; he's more powerful than any of them."

The dark figure grunted and shattered the robot in pieces.

"I want that boy, at any cost."

"You failed once again!" A monstrous voice spoke from a small mirror, "I've had enough of you now."

"No master! Just one more chance," It pleaded.

"Alright," It saidm "One last chance."

It said something in low voice as another robot was summoned there.

"Bring me that small fragment of TD's power," the dark figure said, "That'll be your last chance."

"I would suggest that you take this more cautiously, my friend," another voice said from behind. It sounded like a mixture of both a regular human voice and a robot's. Turning around, the dark figure saw what appeared to be another robot, but this one had four arms and his eyes were an orange color. The robot spoke again.

"I have battled TD before, and he is no laughing matter. Even with a fragment of his power, you have no hopes of defeating him. No, I would suggest a much... colder approach."

"And what would that be?" It asked.

The robot smiled, for unlike the rest of his bots, he had facial features as part of his appearance.

"I thought my hint was enough, but I guess I should clarify. His weakness is ice-based magic. Why else do you think that I suggested using the Windagos the first time around? I knew TD would come, though I did not know about his friends that came with him. If that's even the right word for the purple alicorn. What did he call her again? Wife..."

"Cold approach! I like that," It said.

"But that'd be last chance and there's no room for failing once again!" The voice from mirror spoke, "Remember that!"

The robot suddenly walked over to the mirror with an intimidating look. He showed no fear for the mystery man in the mirror.

"I promised you that I would get your prize, and I WILL get you your prize. And mark my words, you will be sorry should you ever double cross me! Understand? Even your friend here fails, I will continue the attacks, and I will not stop until either the boy is in your possession, or you personally call it off!"

"You should prove yourself rather than bursting upon my face," voice from the mirror chuckled, "Though, I liked your attitude. Proud and bold."

"I have defied and taken down a being that proved to be more powerful than you," the robot stated, "But if you wish me to prove myself..."

The robot turned away as he shouted to one of his men.

"Send word to the special operatives. Let them know that the Terror of Dimensions is present with the boy and must be dealt with. Bring Joy alive; kill the others."

The robot in question saluted his master and rushed off quickly as the master robot looked back to the mirror.

"I must not interfere personally," he said, "Not yet. It's too soon."

"Fair enough," the voice answered. The robot simply looked to the dark figure before him.

"Do not worry, my friend. Your prize shall be given to you. And as long as TD helps them, I will continue to help you. You see, you may have your quarrel with the boy..."

He looked out in the direction of the Equus in question, many light-years though it may have been from their location. An evil chuckle came from him as he finished his thoughts.

"...But my quarrel is with the Terror of Dimensions."

* * *

 **Dun dun dun! This is getting intense! I don't know about you guys, but TD and Joy are probably in hot water now.**

 **Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! I'll cya next time!**

 **Peace out, fans! And bronies!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I just love doing collabs! This series is gonna keep on going for now! In this one, mothers will be challenged and Joy's safety is anything but secure.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Zachary Sparkle looked out into the sky as he thought about the recent events told to him by his father. Apparently, he had been receiving calls from Zach's friend Joy Star, a human who had been raised in an alternate Equus. It seemed that Joy was being targeted by some kind of robots that his father had once been forced to combat himself in his younger years. Zach couldn't help but feel sympathetic for his human friend. Although they had only met a few brief times when Zach was a colt, he was still determined to help his friend out. If only he could figure out which dimension he was in...

Just then, Zach heard someone coming up behind him and he turned to see his sister, Diana, standing before him. Zach smiled warmly. Even though she had been adopted, Diana may have been his sister by blood. She had always looked up to him in her filly years, and loved him like the big brother she never had.

"Hey Diana," Zach said, "I was thinking about Joy. You heard about it too, haven't you?"

Diana nodded. She was deaf, but thanks to a special spell Zach had cast in her as a filly, she could understand what he was saying. She also tended to be rather quiet by nature, speaking very little. Zach looked to her and sighed.

"I want to help him, but I don't know where his dimension is. How do I figure that out?"

"Say please," a voice said from behind. Zach turned to see his mother, Princess Twilight standing before him. Even though she was around 60+ years and had grown over the years, she still looked as young as she had been when Zach's father had married her. Twilight smiled at her children.

"William and I are heading out for Joy's universe now to check up on him. You're welcome to come along if you wish."

Zach and Diana looked to each other for a moment, then back to Twilight with a nod.

"I had a feeling you'd come along," Twilight said with a chuckle. "Now, come on! Your Dad isn't going to wait forever!"

* * *

**Joy's POV**

That was getting more than enough. The fifth day in a row and I hadn't spent a single hour with Mother because she was always busy in her "important" debates with those arrogant nobles. She didn't let me in whenever she had debates with them. And those debates were getting most of her. She became so tired and worn out that I could only share a little hug and a little to no talk before she fall asleep in her chamber. Tonight I'd to talk with her about that.

As she was about to hug me, I backed off much to her and my own discomfort.

"C'mon my Joy~ Mother needs her stress relieving cushion," She said.

"Why don't you spend time with me now?" I asked "Are those pompous nobles are more important to you?"

"No, not at all my Joy!" She protested, "I'm just busy with some matters you wouldn't understand."

"What's so important that you can't spend a little time with me?" I snapped, though I shouldn't had said this.

She sniffled and I regretted what I said.

"You're right," she said, "I'm not being a good mother. I wish I could do something about this but... I just can't..." she sobbed.

"Mom, I... I was..." I was angry at myself, "Sorry that I said this!"

"No, if you think I'm being mean, then that's... not your fault. And that's okay if you don't like my hugs anymore."

At this, I hugged mother without any further talk and snuggled my face closer to her chest.

"I'm sorry mother. I was just a little..." I didn't know the write word for apologizing for my behavior. Though she felt relaxed at this and yawned.

"Rest now mother. I'll see you tomorrow."

I covered her with the blanket and silently left her room. Just then, I heard a noise in the direction of the throne room and some guards crying out in alarm. Curious, I ran into the throne room to see TD and Princess Twilight standing before the guards. But there were two other figures with them as well. The first was a blue pegasus stallion with green stripes. His mane and tail were red in color, and one wing was green while the other was blue. His eyes were draconic like the eyes in TD's pony form, but purple in color and they didn't look intimidating. Instead, they seemed to glow in the interior lighting of the palace and gave off a gentle expression. His Cutie Mark was a cauldron with a magic book next to it. The mare beside him was blonde in color, with a pink mane and tail. Her eyes were blue in color and I could've sworn that there were miniature butterflies in her eyes. Her Cutie Mark was a butterfly inside of a purple heart. I was stunned with joy, for while they had aged considerably since I had last seen them, I knew those two from a mile away.

"TD, Twilight! You're here! Zach, Diana! You're here too!" I exclaimed, "It's so good to see you two again." I went towards them to greet them. Zach and Diana both brought me into a big group hug.

"It's good to see you again too, Joy," Diana said softly. Zach chuckled.

"Well, you've grown since we last met each other," he said, "How are you, my friend?"

I returned the hug "I'm alright my friends," I replied, "You are grown up now as well. Aren't you?" I chuckled

Diana giggled while Zach gave a smile. "Time works differently back home. Ten years there could probably be only one year here."

Princess Twilight walked over to us and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Joy."

"Hello?" TD said in confusion, but his voice was muffled like he had something metal over it. As we turned to his direction, we noticed that he had a tin can over his head. He walked into a wall and fell onto his back. Zach and Diana chuckled while Princess Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement.

"We're over here, William," she said.

"I'll be there in a minute," TD replied.

I chuckled once again to see this. Then I remembered something very important.

"Please keep it down guys." I whispered "Mother is having a nap after an exhausting day."

"Oh, sorry," Princess Twilight said in a whisper. Diana nodded and Zach was silent. TD on the other hand, still had the can on his head.

"How far are you away?" he asked, "Are you on a different continent?"

Twilight sighed and removed the can from his head.

"Oh, that's better!" he said in a whisper. He then looked to me and said, "Yes, I knew about the whispering thing. Sometimes, I do this stuff on purpose."

Zach laughed quietly. "That's my dad for you."

Diana was silent, but she was looking around the room with interest. I remembered how quiet she tended to be, which seemed to fit her friendly nature. I also remembered another detail about her when Zach stomped his hoof to get her attention for a brief moment instead of calling to her. In a while Bubble came to throne room. She was still in her sleeping robes. She looked towards where I was standing and soon noticed that TD, Twilight and their children were standing beside me.

"I heard some noise and... I was certain that would be you." She chuckled as she referred to TD and Twilight, "And you brought Zach and Diana as well." She came towards us with a smile, "It's good to see you both again."

"Bubble!" Diana called, crushing her friend in a big hug. Zach just smiled and said, "It's good to see you again, my friend."

TD chuckled at the sight. "I see that no matter their age, my children could never forget their dear little friends."

"Who are you calling little?" Bubble demanded, "My 21st birthday was a few days ago."

"That was a figure of speech," TD defended. His children just chuckled.

"Don't worry about Dad," Zach said, "He means well."

Diana finally released Bubble and looked at her with a smile. The miniature butterflies appeared in her eyes again, somehow making her look just as cute as she was when she was a filly.

Though nothing bad had happened lately, minus the attack of King Sombra on the long lost and now returned Crystal Empire. I got a chance to give him a good beating before he was shattered to pieces by the Crystal Heart. I got into a little trouble because of that, but that was alright.

"So, is some trouble on its way?" I asked as Bubble jabbed me lightly "Or, this is just a casual visit?"

"A little of both, truth be told," TD stated, "You see, we wanted to check up on you guys and see how you were faring. However, Zach and Diana also wanted to come and see their dear friend once again, after all these years. I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to reunions."

I was really glad to know this. After Cadence left along with her husband Shining Armor to look after Crystal Empire, I was feeling really lonely without her. As for Mother, she got busy with her duties a little too much that she didn't had much time to spend with her son. So a visit from a few friends no matter from how far they lived made me feel a little better.

"So, I suppose that's a casual visit then," I replied, "Make yourself home. I'll tell the maids to arrange a guest room for your family, and maybe tomorrow we can continue our talk. Cause you know... it's night."

"Thanks, but I doubt we're gonna get much sleep tonight. It was still about noon back home when we left," TD replied with a shrug.

"Speak for yourself," Zach said with a yawn, "I could use some shut eye. What about you, Diana?"

Diana's response was a loud yawn and a sleepy smile.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt," Princess Twilight said. They all looked to TD, who finally broke with a sigh.

"Alright," he said with a smile, "Might as well." He looked to me and Bubble. "See you two in the A.M."

"So, alright," I said, "Hope you all have a peaceful night."

"We shall," Princess Twilight replied. "Thank you, Joy."

With this, I called a maid and asked her to show them their room. After this, me and Bubble went towards our own room to have a little rest. Next day I hope to have a little talk with mother about our earlier subject. I knew that something was teasing her badly, and I wanted to know what.

* * *

The first thing that woke me was the sound of TD shouting at someone in the castle. I couldn't tell if he was angry or not, but it apparently had been an amplified voice because I couldn't hear him afterwards. As I sat up in bed, Diana phased through my bedroom walls and noticed my condition.

"Oh, sorry," she said quietly, "I didn't realize you had just woke up."

I was a little amazed and just couldn't say anything at the moment.

"That's... fine I guess," I said, "But I must ask what brings you here in the first place? Not like I'm mad or something, but you know... privacy."

"I didn't realize this was your room at first," Diana replied, "Plus, I thought I'd get you something to start the day."

Diana's horn glowed and a tray of food appeared in front of her, levitating in the air by her magic. Apparently, she had made me breakfast in bed She gave me a small smile.

"There's enough for Bubble too, when she wakes," Diana added.

I passed her a smile. "This is so nice of you Diana. Thanks."

She gave me a nod, then set the tray down before me and looked around the room. She seemed to be marveling at the way the room looked, as if she had seen it in a different way back home. Which probably wasn't too surprising. For all I knew, my room in general probably didn't exist back in her Equestria.

"You liked something about my room?" I said as I took a bite from the meal she prepared. Then I heard Bubble making a mumble in her sleep. Perhaps she was waking up by the charming scent of breakfast. Diana didn't seem to have heard me say anything and kept looking around the room. That's when I remembered her disability.

"Oh right." I said to myself.

Soon, Bubble woke up and without noticing that Diana was here she yawned and gave me a good morning hug along with a kiss on my cheek.

"Good morning! What a wonderful morning, isn't it?" She said.

I smiled and returned the hug. "This really is a beautiful morning." I chuckled, "Here have some breakfast." I gestured towards the tray. "And just guess who has made us breakfast today?" I said and looked towards Diana. Bubble blushed a little to see her in their room. Then she just smiled and said, "Morning Diana! I didn't see you there."

Diana didn't notice again, so this time I knocked my hand against the side of my bed. She seemed to register that and turned to us with a questioning expression.

"I said, morning Diana," Bubble said with a giggle, "You seemed a little too lost in the decor of our room. Aren't you?"

"Oh," Diana smiled. "It looks different from back home. In my Equestria, this room used to belong to my friend Midnight Shade. She had a more... nightly decor. Fitting for her, considering that she's Aunt Luna's daughter."

"Oh, I see," I said. Things must be really different back there. Aunt Luna didn't have a husband here in this universe to begin with.

 _I wonder, will my aunt Luna have a special somepony in future?_ I thought and smiled to myself. "I think that's why you're gazing upon our room like this."

"That's part of it," Diana said. "By the way, Aunt Luna's husband is actually the son of King Sombra. Don't worry, he's really nice. You almost wouldn't guess that he was the son of a Shadow Pony."

"Really?" I was a little amazed at first, then just relaxed myself. After all, that was an alternate world. "Well, anyways thanks for the breakfast, my friend."

"This is really nice," Bubble said, taking a few bites of the meal, "I really like this."

Diana smiled in a cute manner in response, her smile seeming to speak louder than words. After a few more bites, we finished our breakfast.

"I think we should get up and change now," I said to Diana. "See you... in a while Diana."

Diana nodded, then walked over to the wall nearby and phased through it again. The way she did it was so natural, it was almost like she was a ghost or spirit. Cold Winter would've been jealous. I looked towards Bubble, who didn't seemed to be as amazed as I expected. She probably guessed what I was thinking and replied, "What else to expect?" She giggled. "She's TD's daughter after all." I chuckled at this.

After this, we got up, refreshed ourselves, and I changed to my casual clothes. After this, we headed straight towards the throne room. I needed to have a talk with mother about with what matter the nobles were bothering her so badly over. At the doors to the throne room, I saw TD inside of some kind of booth that wasn't there before. He probably installed it with his magic recently.

"Papers, please," TD said in an accent of some kind. At my confused expression, he laughed.

"I'm just messing with ya! I've wanted to pull that reference up for a long time. Here, I'll fix the passport problem."

Two passports suddenly appeared on the desk before him and he opened them up before pressing a green stamp on each to approve them. He then handed them back to us with a playful smile.

"Cause no trouble," he said teasingly.

"Alright~" I said with confusion and chuckled a little as it was pretty amusing. Bubble giggled a bit as well. Then we headed inside the throne room. Inside, I could see Mother in the midst of a discussion with some nobles. Beside her was Princess Twilight and... TD?

"Two places at once," a voice beside me explained. It was Zach and Diana was beside him.

"Yeah, two places at once," I said with the hint of amazement in my tone, "That's the most strange thing I've ever seen."

Bubble nodded as we directed our attentions towards mother and those pompous nobles. As mother noticed us, she raised her hoof to silent the discussion.

"Joy, you can't come here while we're debating," She said, "I'll talk to you later."

The nobles gave me a really arrogant, and I mean really arrogant, look.

"Mom, I'm not going anywhere," I said.

"Let the kid stay," TD stated, "He deserves to know. Besides, I seriously doubt that he'll leave quietly, and I am not gonna be the one to force him out, easy though that may be."

I came inside the room without any further talk.

"Thank you my friend," I said to TD and came close to mother. She seemed to trying to hide something from me. I just had to know what she was hiding.

"May I ask about our debate, mother?" I asked. "I AM, after all, your son and that makes me involved in this automatically." I added as some nobles gave me a look of anger. "I care about my people as much as you and aunt Luna." A few of them looked towards each other.

"Well, you see..." mother's eyes started to glitter with tears, much to my worry, "they want me to..."

"The boy is a menace!" one noble blurted, starting the onslaught that followed.

"He's too dangerous to stay among us!"

"You must decide, Princess! The safety of ponykind cannot be secured while he remains!"

Princess Twilight glared at the nobles when they finished, along with Diana and Zach. TD's expression was unreadable at the moment.

 _Menace, dangerous, threat to ponykind._

I repeated this in my mind and gave Mother a sorrowful look. I understood what were those debates about. The topic of that debate was none other than myself.

"So, that's why you were keeping me away from you..." Bubble was holding back this time only because Princess Celestia was there, or else that noble would be hit against the castle's wall really hard.

"You think I'm a... threat!?" I demanded.  
"Not at all my Joy! You aren't a threat!" Mother exclaimed and hugged me tightly. "That's what I'm trying to make them understand..." she shedded some tears again, "That you're my son..."

"Son?!" one noble scoffed, "The boy isn't even of our kind!"

"Does that matter?" TD suddenly said. As he spoke, the air was filled with a dangerous feeling. I could almost sense TD's anger rising as he spoke.

"I have two members in my family who aren't related to me by blood, but that doesn't make me love them any less. On the contrary, I love them as if they was my own children. And I'm not even of their kind. I can see that your Princess loves Joy in the same sense. She may not be his biological parent, but she's still his mother. And as such, her duties as a mother come first. Let me ask you this: do you have children of your own?"

Many of the nobles looked at each other nervously, then nodded.

"Then you should know EXACTLY why she cannot and will not give him up!" TD shouted, his voice amplifying a few times above normal. "It sickens me to know that such arrogant, selfish brats like yourselves can exist with such high status in society! Joy Star is more deserving of being a noble than you lot will ever be!"

That was it now. Mother couldn't hold it anymore. She stood up and gave the nobles a really angry look. They all got scared as soon they saw this.

"NOW LISTEN TO ME CAREFULLY!" She was talking in her royal Canterlot voice. "I'VE SAID THIS THE DAY WHEN I REVEALED HIM IN FRONT OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ROYAL PALACE AND NOW I AM SAYING THIS AGAIN; NOT ONE OF YOU WILL SAY OR DO ANYTHING TO HURT MY SON, OR I SWEAR BY MY MOTHER GALAXIA, ONE OF THE DUNGEONS WILL BE HIS RESIDENCE FOR SEVERAL YEARS!"

The whole castle was filled with silence after this. For the first time in my life, I had seen her that angry at someone. Princess Twilight walked over to Mother's side, along with TD and the rest of his family.

"I may not be your Twilight," Princess Twilight said, "but you have my support in this matter Celestia, and I can say without a doubt that your Twilight and her friends would do the same."

"You have my support too, Princess," Zach replied.

"Mhm!" Diana agreed. TD was still glaring at the nobles, but it was clear that he supported Mother too. The nobles stood up and gave me a really poisonous look before leaving the throne room. It was clear that they were lost in their arguments. I was happy for this. Bubble came towards me and held me in a big hug. Then she looked towards mother and spoke.

"I knew you'd never take side of those pompous nobles," she said, "Though for a brief moment I was really afraid." She nuzzled me. "But I'm glad that everything turned out just fine."

TD sighed as if tired and looked to us with a smile.

"To be honest with you, I tend to be more bark than bite. But what I said concerning you, supporting you... I meant every word of it. You are probably the best thing that has ever happened to Celestia in this universe, Joy Star. I could never support anyone who wished to take that away from her."

I could see mother smiling with a few tears in her eyes. But this time these were tears of joy. She felt really good at what TD said.

"You've my most sincere gratitude for this," she said to him.

"Yes, thank you Mr. TD," Bubble added.

TD smiled a bit more, then said, "William. My real name is William. I tend only to share such a secret with my closer friends. You would be among that group."

"William," Bubble said, "That's a little easier to say." She giggled, "So, thank you William."

I never heard of such name before.

"So, in your own world, do all humans have such names?" I asked.

"Not exactly," TD remarked, "There are some wacky ones out there too. Lemme see... there's Dexter, Carmen, Kyle, Dave, Bob, Stuart... The list goes one, really. And that's just the names in English, the language I speak. There's also Spanish, French, German... It's very confusing if you don't live there yourself, and in all honesty I have yet to fluently learn any language outside my own. Any other languages you may have heard me say was simply me channeling my magic in such a way that I spoke the language, but I would hear it in my own tongue. Kinda like what I did for Cold Winter, except his is permanent."

"Then I'd not go into details." I chuckled, "It all seems really confusing."

"And some of them are really hard to speak," Bubble spoke, "No offense."

"No, I'm with you on that," TD replied, "It's understandable. Besides, I'm too lazy to want to try and learn more beyond my own language really. Twilight on the other hand..."

Princess Twilight chuckled. "I tend to do a lot of study on the human race. I've learned quite a lot. For example: Du bist ein glücklicher Junge, Joy Star."

I stared at her blankly as she said this. "Ah, what was that?"

Bubble just looked at her in confusion. Princess Twilight chuckled.

"That's German for, 'You are a lucky boy, Joy Star.'"

"I only know that because I looked up the translation on Google and copy/pasted it," TD replied.

I blushed. "Thanks." I said.

"Joy, I've got to attend to my daily duties now. I promise that we'll have a lots of quality time together," Mother said, "Alright?"

"Hmm... alright mother," I replied, "No, extra tasks today. Okay?"

"You've my word, my son." She replied, "Now give your mother a hug."

I happily hugged her at this. She returned the hug and kissed on my forehead.

"I love you mama." I said

"Mama loves you too, Mama's Joy." She replied, "Now, you should take her for a movie as you promised," She whispered to me and giggled.

Shot! I remembered that today was the anniversey of our first date. How could I forget? But maybe she also didn't remember about that. As she didn't say anything since morning.

"So... now everything's fine... do you happen to remember something special about today?" She said, carving her hoof on the floor.

 _You saved me mom._ I thought and replied to her, "Yeah, I've planned this day to be very special."

I may have lied but I'd make this day special anyway.

"Mind if we join you?" Princess Twilight asked. "William and I haven't been out on a date together for a while, and what better opportunity than this?"

"We aren't gonna be too close to them, are we?" TD asked with a chuckle, "I mean, they deserve their privacy."

Zach and Diana giggled at this.

"No, not at all," Bubble said, "You're most welcome to join."

I nodded in reassurance "It's alright with me."

Soon, we headed out for a movie. There are a few movie theaters in Canterlot. One of my favorite is 'Magic Pictures'. I like to go there with Bubble whenever we've mode to spend some quality time together watching a movie.

"So what's your favorite kind of movies?" I asked them.

"For me, mostly anything with humor in it," TD stated, "Although, I'm not too shabby on romance either. Being with Twilight has had some affects on me, mostly for the better."

Princess Twilight chuckled, then said, "Whatever suits you two. I'm good for almost anything right now."

Zach and Diana simply looked to each other and seemed to come to an agreement.

"Well, have fun you guys!" Zach called, "Diana and I are going to have some brother/sister time with each other!"

"Have fun, you two!" Princess Twilight called to them.

"Don't play in the middle of the streets!" TD added playfully as they disappeared in a cloud of feathers

"I like sad or bittersweet type movies with a slight or more touch of romance and adventure." I said, "Or horror works with me too."

We at last reached to the theater and like always it was full of ponies. I looked towards the list of movies which were going to be air today. I looked towards Bubble.

"Okay sweetheart, looks like you get to choose," I said to Bubble.

"If you don't mind... I'd like to watch 'The Childhood' again," Bubble replied.

"But we saw that one last time," I said.

"But that was really sweet and I want to see that again," Bubble said.

"Alright," I said, "We'll watch this movie. Okay?"

"Okay." Bubble looked towards the couple beside them and said, "Believe me, you'll love this movie."

"Just a heads up warning: I tend to comment a lot during the movies, unless someone stops me," TD replied.

"Then I'll stop you," Princess Twilight said to him.

"Thanks," TD said to her, and it sounded like he meant it. He gave her a loving smile as he switched into his pony form. "Shall we, my Princess?"

"I think we shall, my Prince," she replied, taking his hoof in her own.

I held Bubble's hoof in my hand and gestured her to go inside the hall, and along with the other exotic couple we went inside the cinema hall, which like I said earlier was full of ponies. We sat on our seats and so did TD and Twilight. Their seats were one row ahead to us. The screen brightened up with light. And the countdown began. Then opening credits and the title appeared on the screen; after that the movie officially started.

 _The Childhood: A Story of Love And Innocence_

The movie had started...

 _At a playground of a school there were many colts and fillies playing different games. Two earth colts were talking to another a little bigger earth colt who was seemed to be bullying them._

 _"I'll say it one more time, give us our Frisbee back!" One colt said._

 _"You've got to make us do it, you twig!"_

 _"I'm not a twig!" The colt snapped, "My name's Trottin!"_

 _The bully just laughed, until he was hit by something really hard. He saw that a pegasus colt had hit him with the coconut._

 _"Leave my friends alone," He said, "Or else, next time I'll hit you even harder."_

 _"Why you..." Bully said._

 _"You didn't hear what I said!" the pegasus said, taunting him with another._

 _Seeing this, he fled, leaving the earth colts alone with their Frisbee._

 _"Nice to see you Blast," Trottin said, "Thanks for helping us."_

 _"No problem..." as he said this, the school-bell rang._

 _They were about to go to in the class, when they heard another sound. It was a of a flute._

 _"Let's go..." All three of them went towards the certain pony who was playing the flute..._

"Ah, the ol' 'skip class to check something out' cliche," TD said in a whisper, due to obvious reasons. "I wonder how this will play out..."

 _"I sing just for you, little children," A unicorn stallion said to a bunch of little colts and fillies who were standing in front of him. He had been the one who played the flute. "Your smiling faces makes me feel so good," On his back there was a saddle full of toys and dolls, and he was just giving them away to little colts and fillies with price from a few to no bits. Those three friends were also there waiting for their turn. After giving each child a toy, the unicorn smiled and said, "May you always keep smiling like this!"_

 _He watched as they trotted off on their way, leaving him alone once again. "I really miss these smiles when you're not around."_

"I'm not sure if he's a pedophile or just some really lonely person who has a dark history to his past," TD pointed out, "But in all honesty, hashtag stranger-danger."

"He's just giving them toys, William," Twilight said to him. "He probably isn't that bad a pony."

"Famous last words," TD muttered.

 _Night had fallen and everypony was fast asleep in their houses, because outside there was really rainy night. Except for one lonely soul known as Toy Maker. He was wandering around the streets and was playing a really sad tune along with heartbreaking lyrics._

 _Toy maker's here along with toys_  
 _Toy maker's here along with joys_  
 _Where are you my dears_  
 _My dear girls and boys_  
 _This valley cries so loud and clear_  
 _As this water are actually its tears_  
 _Never you've cried like me_  
 _Never you shed that much tears_  
 _..._  
 _As he was wandering near Trottin and his friends' houses, they came out to check on him._

 _"Why uncle? How are you so cheerful at day and that sad at night?" Trottin asked him._

 _"I can see you at daytime," he said, "But night feels so lonely when I can't see your smiles."_

"Uncle?" TD said, "Huh. Guess he's not that bad after all. Although, I will criticize his mood swing. Seems like an inferiority complex or mental disorder..."

A nudge from Twilight shut him up for the time being.

 _Trottin and his friends were sitting in the ground with their new friend. She was new to school._

 _"So, I've figured why uncle is always so much sad and how to make him happy," Trottin said._

 _"How?" Blast asked._

 _"He feels happy around foals so, I figured he needs his own foal," Trottin explained "So in that way he can be happy again!"_

 _"But where do foals come from?" Trottin's friend asked._

 _"I know, my father told me that he broke me out of a pumpkin. So we just have to find the right pumpkin to break and there! Uncle is happy," Trottin said._

 _"You're wrong. My mother told me that a bird drop me on her lab when I was just a foal," Blast countered._

 _"You both are wrong," the filly remarked, "Foals comes from mares. Their belly swells and my mother said that I'll soon have a little brother."_

I laughed in a low voice at this. These children are really innocent.

"There's just no way to break it to them lightly, is there?" TD asked no one in particular. He had been given a big tub of popcorn which he was sharing with Twilight, and it was keeping him quiet... or at least more than he had been before.

 _The four friends were talking to a flower selling mare. Her name was Awesome Bloom, but she was known as Crazy Bloom among other villagers._

 _"So you see, that's why we need your help because you know him better than us," Trottin's friend, Dasher, said to Bloom, "And we apologize for calling you crazy all the time. Will you please help us?"_

 _Bloom blushed as children said this and she tried to hold her laughter._

 _"Okay children, I'll talk to your uncle."_

 _As children went away, she chuckled at their strange request._

 _"Can you please give Uncle a foal so he could be happy?"_

TD and Twilight both chuckled at the innocence of the children. It was obviously very funny and cute for them to see.

 _Toy Maker was on a boat along with a mare and two foals. One of them was a colt and the other was a filly. Apparently, they were his wife and children. He was looking very happy as all of them were enjoying the calm breeze, as another stallion was slowly rowing the boat to take them to the other bank of the river. Then suddenly, something happened. The boat was not moving ahead. To their worst nightmares, the boat was trapped inside a whirlpool. Just then, something hit the Toy Maker in his head and he lost consciousness. When he came around, he was on the other bank, but his wife and children were nowhere to be seen. To his most terrible shock, they had drowned in the river and couldn't be revived in time. The only thing that was left was his son's flute._

 _"That's how I lost my whole family," He said to Bloom._

 _Bloom was really shocked to know about that tragic event. Still, she came closer to him and said, "It's been nine years. You can at least try to move on."_

 _"No, I can't," he replied as some tears flowed down to his cheeks, "I lost everything I had."_

 _"I say, don't give up on your life. If you look around, you'll see you have much more than just toys and woes."_

"Aww!" TD whispered with a sympathetic tone, "So he's just had a rough past. Like me..."

"I like that part," I said a little aloud, before Bubble shushed me.

"No spoilers, please," Twilight said back.

 _Dasher was a little late when he reached home. Waiting for him was his aunt, who seemed to be the only family he had. She quickly wrapped him up in a big hug, kissing him on forehead._

 _"I was so worried about you," She said, "Why so late?"_

 _"I was playing with my friends and so that's why..." he replied_

 _"Go to your room." She suddenly released him from the hug, "And don't come out until I say so." She suddenly sounded really rude as Dasher went towards his room. After he was gone:_

 _"Sorry nephew, I really don't wanna be this way, but this is for your own protection."_

"Is it really?" TD asked.

 _Bloom was at her shop exhibiting beautiful flowers of her garden to ponies so she could earn some more bits before heading back to her home._

 _"These are so beautiful. A perfect symbolic gift for your special somepony, for love of your life."_

 _"I like your flowers," A filly said._

 _"You like them? You can have a daisy," She said, "Here, it looks good in your mane."_

 _"Yay! Thank you!" Filly hopped away in joy, somewhat resembling a small version of Pinkie._

 _"Give me some flowers," A stallion said rudely._

 _"May I ask you, where's your Mrs.?" she asked._

 _"These aren't for her. Anyways, this is none of your business." He snapped._

 _Bloom made an angry expression, "No flowers for p****." She said._

 _Hearing this, he gave an angry glare to her and went away, "Crazy mare."_

"I don't like such guys," I whispered.

"There's always one of them around," Twilight muttered.

 _Dasher was wandering around near the forest. He was really sad._

 _"I really wished you'd be with me dad," He said, "Why did you leave me alone?"_

 _Suddenly, he saw an old hut. The same old hut he went to check on with his two best friends a few days ago._

 _"Why does my aunt never let me go there?" He thought, "Should I go inside?"_

 _Just then, he noticed some strange noises coming from that hut and went there to check it out. He saw that inside, there were some stallions talking to each other._

 _"And now... hey did you hear that?" One of them asked._

 _"Looks like somepony has forgotten his way," another stallion said, "Let's welcome him."_

 _Hearing this, Dasher galloped back to his home. Luckily none of the stallions came after him. But he was really scared about whatever was going on there._

"Uh oh," TD remarked jokingly, "The gang is back."

 _Trottin was in his home waiting for his father so he could spend some time with him. He really loved his father because since his mother's unfortunate death he had raised him with love and compassion or at least tried to. He heard the sound of door opening and ran towards his father._

 _"Dad, I was really missed you."_

 _"Oh," he said, "Alright."_

 _"You know, I've got a A grade in my studies."_

 _"That's good."_

 _"Teacher says that I'm doing really good."_

 _"Okay."_

 _"Why don't you look so happy?" Dasher asked, "I thought that you'll at least smile and say well done."_

 _"Well kid," the father said with anger, "Sorry, I can't be dancing with joys with your pathetic achievements. Life is much more harder than this."_

 _"That's what you always said!" Trottin snapped, "Sometimes, I doubt that you love me."_

 _"Yeah, yeah. I'M A BAD FATHER! I DON'T LOVE YOU IF THAT'S WHAT YOU WANNA HEAR!"_

 _"I hate you dad," Trottin retaliated and trotted into his room._

"Get on with it," TD groaned, partly in humor, "I'm pretty sure I know what this is pointed towards."

Twilight just giggled, then leaned against him as the next scene rolled out.

 _"Boss, that guy can't be trusted anymore," A stallion said to another, "He's gonna spit out our plans to Queen."_

 _"Alright, looks like our work with him is done," said the Boss._

 _"But then, what about our supplies?" The first one asked_

 _"We'll find somepony else. For now he's too dangerous for us to live," the Boss replied, "Tell your mercenaries to get us rid of that pathetic rat."_

 _"Yes boss!" He replied._

"Why do I get the feeling that the snitch is Trottin's uncle?" TD asked.

"Because you know plots too well," Twilight replied. TD laughed low and quietly at that.

 _Toy Maker was in a drunk state wandering around the village at night time, when suddenly he heard a masculine shriek. He went towards the cries and saw that an earth stallion was lying there on the ground covered in his own blood, with a knife in his chest. Toy Maker's vision was blurred and he was unable to see anything clearly._

 _"What happened to you sir?" He asked, nudging him on the shoulder._

 _"No, no, father," He heard the well known voice of a colt, " What have they done to my father?" He sobbed, "Please don't leave me. I'll never be mad at you again. Please say something."_

 _"Trottin," Toy Maker asked "Is that you?"_

 _In the dim light, Trottin saw who was standing beside his father's dead body. Before he could do something, a mare shrieked aloud. Looking at the situation, he was accused of murder and arrested by guards._

"I was close," TD said, "but I've seen this cliche several times over. Even read about it in Tom Sawyer."

 _"Can't you ever quite fighting each other?" Blast asked as he tried to stop a quarrel between his mother and father, "I'm really tired of this."_

 _That was a daily problem for Blast Torrent. His parents couldn't stay cool at each other for one single day. His mother was a supermodel. So she was always busy with keeping her body fit and attractive, while paying less to no attention to her husband. In such case quarrels were really common in their house._

"Bubble, promise me you'll never be like that careless mare." I said to her jokingly. She just giggled at this.

"Oh trust me, I think she'd sooner die," TD remarked. He then added, "That was probably dark, but yeah. I don't think you need to worry."

" _They accused uncle for murder." Trottin told Blast, "I saw that he didn't do this. It was three ponies who killed my father. We have to help uncle."_

 _"I'm pretty sure as well," Blast replied "Don't worry, my father is a good lawyer. He said that he'll help us handle this case."_

 _"I'll help too," Dasher spoke up, "I know that he didn't do anything."_

 _"Don't worry little guy." Blast said, "We won't let anything happen to him."_

"It won't work," TD muttered, "Plot demands it."

 _"Do you admit that you've murdered Swift Hoof." the Queen asked Toy Maker._ _He didn't reply, because he was drunk that night. Actually, he didn't even remember anything that had happened that night._

 _"Your highness, I don't think he can even kill a fly," the lawyer said, "For that evidence, I call Swift's own son Trottin to the stand. He was there when this unfortunate event happened."_

 _As he said this, the colt in question stepped forward and spoke._

 _"I... I saw..." he was frightened to remember that event, "I saw that there were three stallions covering their faces with a mask. They suddenly surrounded my father... and... and killed him."_

"I feel bad for the little colt," I said.

"Talk about 'scared for life,'" TD stated.

 _"I know who's the murderer, your highness!" Suddenly a mare from the crowd spoke up, "I know exactly who did this."_

 _She was called forward to state her claim._

 _"I'm sorry I wished I've said this a lot earlier." She began to sob, "The one who's behind the murder of Swift is... my brother, Sand Slasher."_

 _"What the tartarus you're saying you crazy girl?" The said stallion spoke up angrily._

 _"It's true, and I'm not gonna protect you anymore! You killed my brother-in-law first to hide your dark deeds and now you killed that colt's father too!" She sobbed heavily, "I'll not let you continue your evil deeds."_

"Yeah, that's right." I spoke as Bubble shushed me again.

"A bit late, maybe?" Twilight pointed out.

 _-Sand Slasher was arrested by guards and admitted that he was behind these murders. Not even that, but he also admitted that he was using Swift to kidnap little fillies and colts, so he could use them as minor workers in his Illuminite mines._ _After being respectfully clear of all the accuses, Toy Maker took time to come over all of this. A few days after this event, Awesome Bloom came to visit him._

 _"How are you today?"_

 _"Much better." Surprisingly there were no signs of sorrow or pain on his face._

 _"You looks very happy today," She said._

 _"Don't I look good like this?"_

 _"No, actually you look great when you smile," She replied, "Wait a minute, where are all you toys?"_

 _"I gave them away to children." He replied "I've made a decision for my life."_

 _"And what's that, may I ask?"_

 _"Yes, I was thinking to start... a new life," He said._

 _"Oh, you mean..."_

 _"I thought that now I should give life another chance with somepony I know," He said._

 _Hearing this Bloom's smike disappeared._

 _"Oh... so who's that special somepony?" She asked with a hint of sorrow."_

"It's kinda obvious," TD said.

 _"Well, it's somepony you know as well," Toy Maker said._

 _"I can't guess!" Bloom exclaimed, shedding some tears, "Okay!"_

 _"Her name is Awesome... Bloom," He said to her._

 _Bloom looked towards him with disbelief. "That means..."_

 _"Yes. I want you to become my... special somepony. So," he held her hoof in his, "Will you become my special somepony?"_

 _"...Yes..."_

 _With this she pulled him in a kiss._

 _Toy Maker had moved on and found somepony to live with and that was all because of three little colts._

 _-The end-_

The screen went black.

"Ha, such a sweet ending." Bubble said.

"I agree," TD said, still eating popcorn. He apparently was finishing off what was left behind by others.

"If you keep eating that stuff, it's going to kill you one day," Twilight scolded.

"Hey, I consume more salt than is safe for humans to consume," TD pointed out, "So far, I have yet to die."

"But you might," Twilight remarked, although she was smiling as if she knew this was a pointless argument.

After the movie ended, all four of us came out of the cinema hall. I was feeling quite emotional at the ending. I really like that movie.

"Did you enjoy yourself?" Bubble asked the other couple with us.

"We did," TD said happily.

"It was a great movie," Princess Twilight replied, "I wish I had seen it when I was younger back home."

"It's enough to make a grown man cry," TD said, as a tear fell down his cheek. He then got a stern and determined expression. "But not this grown man! Get back in there, tear!"

The tear suddenly sucked itself back into his eye, earning a laugh from Princess Twilight.

"I'm so glad to know this!" Bubble exclaimed, "What else you've planned my sweetie?"

"There are some..." I said, "But let's ask TD and Twilight if they've any suggestions. Okay?"

"Okay," she replied, "So, what do you both have in mind?"

The two looked to each other, then giggled sheepishly.

"We actually thought you were the one planning everything," Twilight said to us.

"But that doesn't mean we can't try something," TD remarked, "What do you want to do? Ice skating? Snowball fight? Skydiving? Anything really. I can pop it up in a snap."

Bubble thought for a while and then spoke "How about Ice-skating?"

I hesitated to speak for a while, then taking a deep sigh I said, "As you wish Bubble."

 _I hope TD would have some kind of magical ice-skates so I could skate a little better._ I thought.

"Your wish is my command!" TD said dramatically. He snapped his fingers- or pretended to- and we suddenly found ourselves on a lake outside Canterlot. Only it was frozen over and we all had ice-skates on. TD started off onto the ice immediately, taking Princess Twilight with him in a kind of dance.

"Come on, you two!" TD called, "Don't be shy!"

"C'mon Joy." Bubble pleaded while taking my hand in her hoof, "This will be fun!"

I took a deep sigh and stepped on the ice along with her. I was afraid that I'd slip or something, making myself embarrassed in front of her.

"Alright," I said as I start to skate on the ice along with her. She was standing on her back legs to adjust herself to... skate-dance with me. To my relief I was doing much better than I thought.

"I can skate!" I exclaimed.

"I told you so," She said.

I was really enjoying ice-skating especially with her. I remembered the sweet memories of our very first date as I was doing so. Just then, I noticed TD slip and fall over onto his back, taking Princess Twilight with him. They ended up with Twilight on top of his chest and him on his back. They looked to each other and were silent long enough to register the situation they were in, then they both let out a joyous burst of laughter.

"Guess we're out of practice still," TD said aloud, still laughing.

"We've always been out of practice," Princess Twilight corrected. This only made them laugh harder.

I was too busy noticing them that I lost my concenteration. One of my feet slipped and I fell on my hips, accidentally tossing Bubble upwards.

"Whoooiii.." she made a sound.

"Uh Oh," I said to myself as I quickly raised my hands and used my magic to make her fall slowly into my arms.

"You're alright?" I asked.

"Alright!?" She asked, "That was wonderful! When did you learn to do that?"

"I guess just now," I replied.

TD and Twilight laughed again.

"Nice trick!" TD congratulated me.

"Good catch too!" Twilight added.

Just then, some low lights flashed across the ice and some romantic music was heard playing. Twilight looked to TD when this happened, and he gave a shrug.

"Magic reaction," he explained, "Not much I can do about that, but it does set the tone for a slow dance."

He used his magic to right himself and Twilight, then looked her in the eyes as his own changed into his draconic eyes.

"May I have this next dance, my little North Star?" he asked her. She smiled and leaned closer to him.

"You most certainly may," she replied, as they skated out slowly over the ice in time with the music.

"May I have a dance with my Prince?" Bubble asked, standing on her back legs and holding my hand in her hoof.

"Certainly my dear Bubble." I replied

I placed a hand on her back. And then our slow skate-dance was started. I was dancing better than before and I was glad about this. In such a situation, Bubble was just unable to stop herself from singing. She started to hum a tune.

 _Though life is strange_  
 _But I'm glad that I got you_  
 _That will never change_  
 _The love I feel for you_  
 _For you..._  
 _C'mon my love_  
 _Bring me to stars_  
 _In heavens above_  
 _In a whole new world_  
 _There'll be you and there'll be me_  
 _Only rainbows and sunshine we'll see_  
 _Forever after..._  
 _Forever after..._

She placed her head against my chest as she finished the song.

TD and Twilight cheered as the song ended.

"That was beautiful," Twilight said to Bubble.

"Probably one of the best songs I've ever heard," TD agreed.

She blushed at the sudden cheers. She giggled and said, "I just got carried away with music."

"That was really beautiful my sweetheart," I said to her.

"Well, that was... just for you my sweetie," She kissed me on cheek as she said this.

TD and Twilight smiled at us and then looked to each other.

"All onlookers who are spying on us, cover your eyes," TD said jokingly, before pulling Princess Twilight into a big kiss. They seemed completely oblivious to whoever might be around when they did so. I gave them a little privacy and looked towards Bubble. She giggled and said, "They're such a sweet married couple. Aren't they?" I nodded at this. "That reminds me Joy," she said with a hint of a tease in her voice, "Where are my sweets?"

I smiled and closed my eyes as I felt that heavenly touch of her lips upon mine. She caressed her soft and sweet lips over mine and I did the same. After a minute, we parted and looked to each other.

"Yeah, these are my favorite," She whispered.

"I'm glad that you like 'em," I replied, also in whisper.

Just then, I heard a giggle from a filly, as Zach and Diana walked forward towards the lake.

"There goes the hockey game," Zach said with a smile. "Did we interrupt anything?"

"Not on our end," TD replied as Twilight released her hold on him and got down on four legs. Bubble and I both blushed heavily. Then we released each other and Bubble came on all fours. We both looked towards them with a sly smile on our faces. I waved a hand towards them.

"Interrupted? Not at... all!"

"Hope you and Diana had an enjoyable time," Bubble said.

"Mhm!" Diana said with a nod.

"We mostly messed with physics, beat a couple of ponies at the arcades; you know, the usual."

TD gave me a humored look that said, "Not in this family."

I giggled a bit at this. It was true: he's a being of chaos, so his usual must be something really impossible in my case. Like beating the physics. Besides Discord, the only pony who's action mocks physics itself would be Pinkie.

"Good one William," I said.

"I try," TD replied. Suddenly, his form changed rapidly between several other forms, most of which I was unfamiliar with. He finally returned to his human form and groaned.

"Next time, warn me in a different fashion," he said to no one in particular.

"What happened?" Twilight asked him, but their children ended up answering for him. Diana got a concerned look and Zach looked grave.

"I sense a dimensional gateway opening," Zach said, "Some beings are exiting from the gateway. They don't appear to be friendly. They're headed for the palace."

 _For the palace?! They're coming here to the palace. Oh, please not again._ That's what was rushing into my mind when I heard that. I didn't even need to ask what was about to come. I already knew.

"So, those things are coming again?" I asked.

"What!" Bubble exclaimed, "I hope that's not what I think it is?"

"And right when we had a good time," TD groaned. "Just another day at the office. Let's move!"

With a snap and a flash of light, we found ourselves outside the palace, where several robots from before were standing before us. However, they were preoccupied with the form of a certain Windago friend of ours.

"I really hate them," Bubble said, as her horn started firing energy beams at them and shattering some of them to pieces. "Why don't you leave us alone!?" She shouted.

In response, one of them lifted its hand and fired something at her. TD jumped into its path with a shield, but he seemed to be using a lot of energy.

"Ice magic?" he said aloud. "Since when have they had that?!"

Another beam came towards him, but this time Zach was the one who blocked it. However, it didn't affect him at all, unlike his father. Also, for the first time that could remember, his eyes no longer looked friendly, but intimidating.

"Stay away from my father!" Zach growled, as his wings glowed and fired two beams at the robots, shattering them completely. Princess Twilight rushed over to TD's side while Diana just looked around at the fight with worry. I came beside Bubble, joining the rest in front of the bunch of tin cans. I bend my knees in attack position and my hands and eyes started to glow. Beside me, Bubble also seemed to be on her full rage as her horn was shining with a blinding light. The robots simply fired all their blasts at once, which combined halfway into a huge beam of energy. It was extremely powerful; even Zach seemed scared of it. But then, TD stood up and stopped it halfway with his hands.

"That it!" He shouted, "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF YOU TIN CANS! LEAVE US ALONE ALREADY!"

With a howl of rage, he absorbed the energy into himself, then fired it back at the robots. They couldn't dodge in time and were engulfed in a blinding light as it connected with them. When the light cleared, only one badly damaged robot was left.

"That's... not... possible," it said with static in its voice. TD walked over to it and grabbed it by the throat- or what counted as a throat for it.

"I have a news flash for ya," TD said through gritted teeth, "I have been known to do the impossible. Chew on that at the scrap yard."

With a glowing fist, TD smacked the robot's head and it shattered. He then slumped to the ground in a tired manner as Twilight rushed over to him.

"Looks like we don't need to worry anymore," Bubble said, "I'm sure they're all done."

I looked towards her as I eased into a standing position. "Well, that's TD."

TD stood to his feet, helped by Twilight, then turned to us and chuckled.

"Once again, my reputation precedes me it seems," he said, "Though I'm not sure for how long that will last."

"That was amazing, Dad!" Zach said to him, giving his father a hug. Diana joined the group hug and soon TD found himself surrounded on all sides by his family, but he didn't care. He looked up to us.

"Feel free to join in," he said with a smile, "The family doesn't consist just of blood members, after all."

Cold Winter took that opportunity to join in on the group hug. Me and Bubble also joined the group hug with glee. I chuckled along with the others. We'd saved this world once again. After a moment, we broke up and TD gave me a smile.

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay, we must be going," he said. His family nodded and gave their final goodbyes.

"Goodbye, friend," Zach said to me as he and Diana gave me and Bubble a final hug.

"Promise you'll keep in touch?" Diana asked. Miniature butterflies were in her eyes when she spoke, making her almost seem like the filly I had met all those years ago.

"I promise." I said, "I'll be in touch."

"Mmmhmm" Bubble nodded, "And... we forgot to tell you...!"

"Not now Bubs," I booped her softly, at which she giggled while rubbing her muzzle.

"Alright..." She replied, "Goodbye Princess Twilight, Goodbye William."

"Goodbye friends. Hope you had fun joining us," I said.

"Goodbye you two!" Princess Twilight called.

"Farewell, my friends," TD said, "I'll be checking up on you sometime soon! Until then, keep your stick on the ice!"

The Sparkle family crowded together, then in a flash of light, they were gone. Now there was only me and Bubble. I looked towards her and said, "So, let's carry on with our own date. Shall we?"

"We certainly shall," She replied and we went off towards the lake to spend some time for ourselves.

***end of Joy's POV***

* * *

"Hahahaha... you failed!" The voice from the mirror spoke, "Your plan failed."

"He's certainly gotten stronger since our last bout, I'll give him that," the robot said with a frown. "This just got so much more complicated."

"Now it's time for my plan," The dark figure in cloak said, "I'll show you where power fails, and wisdom works."

It said some words in an unknown language and in a second, there was standing a Equestrian pony like figure. To be clear, it looked a lot like... that pink mare who was always ready to save that boy. The robot grinned.

"Oh, that's just naughty. But it better work, or else I'm resorting to Plan C."

Some other robots nearby looked at him as if in confusion, to which he replied, "I always have a few backup plans."

"This is my fellow: the Mimikurse," Dark figure said, "It can take the form of anything and can allure anyone," It chuckled while gesturing towards it, "I'll use it to get what I need, and then you'll see who's crying."

"We shall see, my friend," the robot said with a chuckle. "But it has a fair chance. I'm willing to give it a shot."

"When my plan will work, then there'll be no need to worry about TD anymore," It said with a evil chuckle.

"Perhaps, but remember: TD is mine and mine alone to kill," the robot stated, "Also, I would suggest not using it on him. TD is not one to be allured so easily, because of his immunity to hypnotism. No, it'd be safer to us on the boy. Leave TD to me."

"You can have your TD," It chuckled, "You'll soon know what I meant."

* * *

 **These dang hooligans! Why don't they leave him alone?!**

 **Anyways, thanks Admirer Boy for the assist! Check out his story, "The Celestial Child," which is where Joy first came to be. Also, check out my main series, "TD's Adventures in Equestria," and look for the two chapters that feature Joy Star in them, which is where this AU was started from.**

 **Hope you all enjoyed! Peace out, everypony!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Let's keep this snowball rolling, shall we? Joy's enemies keep up the heat, but the heroes keep persevering.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

TD stood at the edge of the Everfree forest as he looked out towards the sunset. Yet another threat to Joy's world had come and gone, but he didn't feel like it was all's well that ends well. No, he knew that it was the same people, the same crooks who were after Joy Star. But something didn't add up. Why did they use such a large quantity of robots that belonged to his greatest enemy? He was supposed to be dead, wasn't he? TD groaned. He didn't know what to think anymore. Everything always seemed to be going south for him these days, as if the fabrics of reality were mocking his new life in Equestria. Well, if they wanted to mock him, they'd have to try harder than that, because TD wasn't giving it up anytime soon. Starting with his checkup on Joy. But first, TD planned to make a jump to a different world. He had promised to stop by and visit his favorite Siren for the day, and because he had the checkup on Joy's world, it would be a perfect opportunity for Joy to meet TD's niece.

Standing near a tree, TD started to prepare a portal spell for the jump to the desired universe, but stopped when he heard a sound nearby. Curious, he stopped the spell to see what it was. All of the hostile creatures in Everfree avoided him, due to his power, so this was intriguing. The answer soon came in the form of a howl, and TD watched as a Timberwolf stepped out of the shadows, looking in his direction...

* * *

*Joy's POV*

Ah, yet another lonely day was this. Bubble had gone away from Canterlot for almost one and a half months. She wanted to spend some time with her family after a long time, so I let her go to Manehatten, but I really started to miss her badly a few days ago. But much to my joy, I received her letter today.

 _ **My dear sweetie,**_  
 _ **Hi! I want to tell you that my visit to my family went better than I thought. Luckily, mother didn't let anypony ruin this visit for me or herself. I won't go into details yet. And I'm coming back next week at the start of fall. I just can't wait to gallop with you once again!**_  
 _ **Mom says 'Hi.'**_  
 _ **Your lovely Sweetheart**_  
 _ **Bubble Heart**_

So I was very happy. I couldn't wait to run with her at Fall. That was gonna be really excited as always. As I thought about these things, I heard a loud noise from the throne room, followed shortly by a cry of alarm behind me. Turning around, I saw one of the palace maids stepping away from a large beast of some kind. I almost freaked when I saw what it was. It was a Timberwolf, yet unlike Timberwolves it didn't act hostile. It was... friendly? It turned its head towards me and gave a friendly bark and its eyes seemed to give an expression that said he recognized me. A sudden thought crossed my mind as I remembered something like this before.

"Plank, is that you?" I asked, as it barked and whimpered in reassurance. "It is you!" I looked towards the maids, "Don't worry, he's cool."

"But... it's a Timber wolf..." A maid said in panic.

"He's the pet of one of my good friends.," I said and thought, "But I wonder, how did he get here?"

"That may have been my fault," a familiar voice said as a human figure rounded the corner just then. TD smiled at me and said, "I apologize for that. Plank insisted on coming with me."

Plank gave another bark and walked over to me, nuzzling up against me much like a very large puppy.

"Oh, no need to apologize then." I chuckled, "It's always nice to see you."

"Likewise," TD said kindly. He then looked back down the hall where he had come from and said aloud, "Did she get lost? I should probably check on her."

"Lost?" I gave him a concern look, "Who?"

"Uncle William?" a female voice called.

"Found her," TD said then called down the hall, "Over here, Serena!"

In a few moments, a creature appeared that I had never seen before. It was a light pink earth pony with eyes as blue as the sea. Instead of a mane, she had purple hedgehog quills where the mane would be, styled in a stylish way; and she has a fish tail instead of a pony tail. Her Cutie Mark was a disco ball surrounded by music notes, and on her chest was a purple gem that contrasted well with her pink coat. Despite her obvious hybrid appearance, she was strikingly beautiful; she was easily the most beautiful creature I'd seen, next to Bubble. I felt a little confused at this. Then I chuckled to myself and gave TD a questioning gesture.

"Oh, she's not mine," TD said, "But I have a feeling she'd be more than happy to introduce herself."

The mare walked towards me and gave me a friendly smile as she held out a hoof.

"Hi, I'm Serena. Daughter of Red the Hedgehog and Sonata Dusk. Pleased to meet you."

I smiled at this and held out my hand for a hand-to-hoof shake.

"Greetings. I'm Prince Joy Star of Canterlot, son of Princess Celestia. Pleased to meet you too."

"I heard a lot about you from my uncle," Serena said, "It's nice to know that there's more of my uncle's kind in Equestria, even if it's an alternate universe."

TD looked between us and gave me another smile.

"In case you're wondering, Serena looks that way because she's part anthropomorphic hedgehog, part siren. Hence her bewitching good looks and marvelous singing."

He said the last sentence with a teasing tone, making her giggle and blush a bit.

"Oh, I see," I said "She's a hybrid creature."

TD wasn't lying when he mentioned her bewitching looks. She really was a very beautiful creature. Anyways, I realized that I shouldn't keep them standing in the halls while we're talking.

"You must be worn out after a travel between dimensions," I said, "And I doubt Plank should stay in throne room." I chuckled a bit. "So, if you'd like to, then we can go in the Canterlot Gardens."

"Sure!" Serena said enthusiastically, "I love the gardens."

"I'm game," TD replied, "What do you say, Plank?"

The Timberwolf barked happily at this and wagged his tail joyously.

"Okay," I said, "Then I'm sure you'll love the Canterlot Gardens even more."

With this we headed towards the gardens. I loved this place since I was just a foal. There's so much of me attached to these beautiful gardens, especially the time I used to spend with my mother, my friend Twilight, and my dear Bubble.

"This is my favorite place in palace," I said.

"I can see why," Serena replied in awe. The gem on her chest glowed and she started floating in the air, moving about through movements with her tail. It almost looked like she was swimming in the air. Plank started to immediately frolic through the gardens and rolled around on the ground a few times, clearly enjoying himself. TD simply sighed contently and lay on the grass looking up into the sky.

"It's so peaceful here," he said, "It's a shame that others wish to see this destroyed forever, like I did in the past."

Trust me TD," I said, "I doubt that I'd ever give you another chance if you tried to destroy my home and hurt my mother," I gave him a fake serious look. "Most probably I'd have... well never mind." I shrugged and giggled a bit. TD just laughed and put on his own expression of mock seriousness.

"I'd totally destroy you before you even had a chance to hit the ground." He chuckled. "And that's just me going easy on you."

"Oh yeah... think of it that way. Not boasting or anything, but a bunch of strange enemies are trying to capture and destroy me like all the time," I said. "I must not be that easy of a hurdle for them. Who knows?" I said as I looked towards the horizon.

"You have a point," TD noted, "I've never seen your kind of magic before. It's a unique one, very powerful. No wonder they'd have interest in you."

"Are you two going to keep talking about the bad things in life?" Serena asked us, floating above our heads, "Because if not, I'd like to sing you a song."

"Really?" I said in excitement "I'd love to hear you sing."

TD smiled at me when I said that.

"You won't be disappointed," TD said, "As the daughter of a Siren, she has a voice that will make your very soul sing along."

Serena blushed a bit when she heard that. Apparently, she found this compliment a bit embarrassing to hear from her uncle. After a second or two, she took a breath and started to sing. As she did, the gem on her chest glowed again:

 _My day in the hills has come to end I know_  
 _A star has come out to tell me it's time to go_  
 _But deep in the dark green forest_  
 _Are voices that urge me to stay_  
 _So I pause and I wait and I listen_  
 _For one more sound for one more lovely thing_  
 _That the hills might say_

 _The hills are alive_  
 _With the sound of music_  
 _With songs they have sung_  
 _For a thousand years_

 _The hills fill my heart_  
 _With the sound of music_  
 _My heart wants to sing ev'ry song it hears_

 _My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds_  
 _That rise from the lake to the trees_  
 _My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies_  
 _From a church on a breeze_

 _To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls_  
 _Over stones on it's way_  
 _To sing through the night_  
 _Like a lark who is learning to prey_

 _I go to the hills_  
 _When my heart is lonely_  
 _I know I will hear_  
 _What I've heard before_

 _My heart will be blessed_  
 _With the sound of music_

I was in awe when she finished. Her singing was so beautiful, I'd dare to say it was hypnotic.

"Wow, that was... amazing!" I exclaimed, "You have a very sweet voice."

She really had a very beautiful voice, the most beautiful I ever heard... next to Bubble of course. After all, she's the daughter of a Siren.

"Thank you," she said, "My parents both are great singers. I guess I inherited that from them."

"I'll say," TD replied, "You give your own father a run for his money."

I nodded as reassurance. Then I sighed and looked towards the horizon once again. I started to miss Bubble again. There was still a week in her return. I kinda feel really lonely without her. Serena seemed to notice this.

"You miss someone," she said sympathetically, as if reading my thoughts, "She's close to you, isn't she?"

I smiled at her very accurate guess.

"Yeah, I'm missing somepony," I said, "she's my very special somepony..." Then I gave her a questioning look. "However, are you a psychic?"

Serena laughed when she heard that. It sounded cute.

"I'm not, but my other uncle might be," she said, "However, I do have a special gift. You've heard of Changelings and how they can sense other's emotions, right?" I nodded. "Well, in a sense, I have the same ability. And as such, I can gather a lot of information from someone. I hope you don't mind..."

"I really didn't mind," I chuckled, "I just don't know much about Sirens or Anthropomorphic Hedgehogs." I said, "I once read that Sirens had disappeared from Equestria a really long time ago. Though no pony knows how."

"You have Starswirl the Bearded to thank for that," Serena said, a bit seriously. "And in all honesty, it's probably for the best. You see, even in my universe... the Sirens were evil. They tried to place the entire world under their spell, but Starswirl banished them from Equestria. Then that's more or less where my father comes in." She gave me a questioning look. "You wanna hear?"

"It's nice to hear again," TD agreed.

"It seems kinda interesting," I said, "Count me in as well."

"Well," Serena started, "You see, my father comes from a world called Mobius. He was originally created to be a weapon of war, but he managed to break that cycle. He also likes to explore. So one day, he went to Uncle William's world, where my mother and her sisters had been banished to. He fell in love with Mother, but also noticed that she was in a confused state of mind. So, he decided to reform her, and eventually succeeded by earning her trust. It took awhile, but they finally tied the knot about a year later. And then, they had me. That's just the shortened version; the full story would take too long."

"It's really interesting." I said "It's good to know that your parents are living happily now."

Then suddenly my vision got blurred as I felt a sharp pain in my head. Unknown to myself at the time, my eyes started glowing too.

"Joy?" TD asked, "What's wrong?"

Serena was also concerned, and laid a hoof on my head, as if to check for a temperature.

"I.. I don't know..." I replied, "That never actually happened... before." The pain was still lingering from the past effect, "Maybe... it's some kind of magical energy surge..."

"Maybe it's connected with something?" TD asked. "Twi and I found out that we more or less merged our minds together through our interactions with each other over the years. Maybe it's trying to tell you something... important."

"You sure..." I asked, as I understood what he said, "Is that pain is connected with... Bubble?" A cold sensation ran down my spine, "TD, is there some way we can see what's happening in Manehatten?" I asked him in a little panic.

"I can try..." TD said, summoning a crystal ball in his hands. He started chanting something and the ball lit up, revealing an image inside. I saw that the image was clearly visible now. It was the house that Bubble's mother lived in with her uncle and cousins.

"Nothing seems to be wrong," TD said in confusion, "I'll check on the family and see if something's off." He spoke another word and the vision expanded.

And then soon another image was appeared in the sphere. Miss Heart Sparkle was talking to Bubble about something. A few steps away there was cousin of Miss Heart Sparkle, Night Flora with their three years old filly in pram in front of her. "Bubble looks fine to me." That was a relief.

But then why I was feeling such pain?

TD was also confused, and Serena suggested that he expand the vision some more. TD looked to her.

"So you want me to make us technically be present, yet not?" he asked.

Serena nodded and TD sighed before complying. As soon as he did, Plank suddenly straightened and growled in a hostile manner.

"What did Plank said?" I asked in a little panic, "Is there something to worry about?"

"I'm not sure," TD admitted, "Zach's the only one who can communicate with him telepathically. But he has other ways. Plank, what is it?"

Plank rushed over to a patch of soft ground nearby and started making marks in the dirt with his paws. He then gestured with his paw to come see. We followed him over and we saw some words written in the dirt:

 ** _Something not right. That's not Bubble._**

"Now what that supposed to mean?" I said really confused, "I mean she's right there."

"Plank what are you say-" TD stopped himself, then placed his head in his hands in a way as to cover his face. "Why? PLEASE be wrong!"

"Now you're scaring me William!" I shouted, "What happened!? Tell me please!"

"I hope I'm wrong, but that may be an impostor," TD stated. "And not the nice kind."

"Since when have the ones you're thinking about ever been nice?" Serena asked.

"Never, but there's a first for everything!" TD answered.

"Well, I also hope you're wrong my friend." I said "So we need to go to Manehatten then?"

"I suppose so," TD said, standing up to full height. He started a teleportation spell and in a flash of light we disappeared.

*onlooker's POV*

As soon as the group left, a robot peeked out from a bush in the gardens and pulled out a walkie talkie.

"Black Team," he said, "You've been compromised. Leave as soon as you can. I will rendezvous with you later."

"I don't think so," a voice said behind it. Before the robot could react, a blast of ice froze it solid and Cold Winter revealed himself. He had just arrived at the gardens and happened to stumble across the robot. Winter smashed the robot to pieces then looked towards the palace.

"I must tell Celestia and Luna."

*Joy's POV*

I was suddenly in front of Bright Spark's residence. Only thinking of this place filled me with rage, as I thought about those events that were happened there at Bubble's family reunion. It made me want to punch something really hard. But I was not here to refresh any old memories, so I took a deep sigh and knocked on the door.

"Bad history here, huh?" Serena asked me with a sympathetic look.

"Yeah, turns out ponies of Manehatten and even some relatives of Bubble don't like me that much. In fact it almost felt like they... hated me." I huffed with anger, "They even insulted Bubble for... loving me and being my fianceé and made her cry a lot."

In a while, the door was opened, fortunately by a mare who used to be my foal-sitter, Heart Sparkle.

"Joy," she said "You? Here?" she said with a sad smile.

"It's nice to see you..." I said giving her a hug, "I'm sorry that I came here so suddenly."

"No, it's fine. My uncle isn't around for a while to do anything mean, so you're free to spend time here."

I nodded. TD and Serena stepped forward.

"Hello, I'm Serena," the Siren said, "And this is my uncle, William."

TD chuckled. "Well, officially most people or ponies call me TD, but the exception tends to go to friends and relatives. Seeing that Joy is a friend of yours, feel free to call me William. Oh, and this is our... pet, Plank the Timberwolf. Don't worry, he's friendly."

Plank's response was a bark and a friendly whimper. Heart stared at TD for a while then giggled.

"I'm sorry for this, but I thought Joy was the only one of his kind in Equestria." She said, "Anyways, come inside." Then she looked towards Plank. "And I must ask if it be so kind of you if you keep him out. There's foals in the house."

"Plank likes foals," TD replied, "although I'd be more concerned that he won't be able to fit inside. He may seem scary, but he's really very much like a big friendly puppy."

"I'm so thankful for this." Heart said "Now come inside."

As the three of us went inside, I saw Night Flora with her little filly. Night Flora is a relative of Bubble who actually thinks I'm nice. Bubble was standing beside the pram. I went towards them.

"Joy? You're here!" Bubble said, "It's really good to see you."

"I really missed you Bubs," I said.

"Hi, Joy!" Night spoke.

"Hi, Night." I said as I looked towards her little daughter Rose Patel. She had a light red coat and dark pink mane.

"She really misses you since the last time she saw you," Night said "She wants you to lift her into your hooves,"

I smiled and picked the small filly up in my arms.

"Uncle Joy," She said, caressing a hoof upon my nose, upon which me and Bubble giggled. TD and Serena smiled warmly at the sight, then they looked around at the place.

"Nice place you have here," TD stated, "Your uncle clearly has a good taste of decor."

"It is really pretty looking," Serena agreed.

"Thank you William." Heart said "But I liked Manehatten much better when Bubble's father was with me." She sighed "Anyways, you tell me, how you're here in Equestria. Is there any land beyond Equestria where Joy's kind lives?"

Meanwhile me and Bubble were talking childishly to Rose Petal. Until Bubble looked towards me and said, "So, now you're here, maybe we can go for a walk?"  
"Alright." I shrugged and placed the little filly back in the pram "But let stay out of the largely populated areas."

"Deal." She giggled.

 _She's acting pretty normal._ I thought, _How could she be an impostor?_

As we started out the door, I could hear TD giving Heart an explanation to her question.

"Well, yes and no. Actually, our kind usually comes from all kinds of places. Me personally, I'm from a different world. So is Serena..."

"So where should we go?" I asked "I don't know much of Manehatten."

"Okay..." she said "Let's go to that old park near the Public Post Office."

"That sound nice and quiet," I said, "Works for me!"

With this we continued on our way to the old park. At the time, we were both unaware of our thorny canine pursuer, who trailed us at a distance and quite successfully too.

"You know I'm really excited." I told her "Fall run of this year is going to be longer and so more enjoyable."

"... yeah, I'm pretty excited." She replied

"Pretty excited?"

Didn't she mean 'so much' or something like this?

In a while we were passing near the front of the post office. That said park was a few steps away from the office. The gate was open, so we went inside. There wasn't any pony else there. There were many trees there though, and all of their leaves had turned yellow, indicating fall was here.

"I like this park still so much," I said.

"Me too!" Bubble replied.

Then suddenly I felt that pain again and held my head.

"Ah, this again!"

"Are you alright Joy?" she asked.

"I don't know for sure," I replied.

Just then, I felt that my pain had ceased once again. Then I noticed that she was kissing me. I suddenly started to feel less pain. Then she broke the kiss.

"I feel much better now." I told her.

"It's good to know." Bubble said, as I clearly saw that her eyes were shining with a dark red color for second. "You really scared me there for a sec." I felt a little irony in her voice.

"What was..?" My head started to spin "... Bubble what are you..?" Everything around me slowly went dark.

*outside Joy's POV*

Bubble looked at the unconscious Joy lying in front of her.

"Sleep well... 'my sweetie," She said as she put her hoof on his head, which seemed more like she was scanning his thoughts. "He has... quiet, beautiful memories."

Just then, a howl was head and a large wolf-like figure jumped between Joy and the false Bubble. It was Plank, who had followed from a distance to spy on the fake Bubble. He growled at her menacingly as if to say, "You will die if you touch him!" The false Bubble smirked at Plank and her eyes started to glow red as she looked into the creature's glowing green eyes- or eye like structures. Then she shape-shifted into another form, one which was well known to Plank.

"You wouldn't hurt me, would you Plank?" said the figure in front of Plank, which looked like Diana. Plank's response was another growl and a look in his eyes said sarcastically, "Nice try." He then leaped at her with his teeth bared. "Diana" jumped aside to avoid the creature, then she turned into another form. This time it was Rainbow Dash. She flew swiftly towards the unconscious Prince, grabbed him in her hooves and flew up high in the air.

"You can't stop me from fulfilling my purpose!" Just then, it shape-shifted once again, taking the form of none other than Princess Celestia. She used a energy beam from her horn to shoot the Timber Wolf. Plank got hit by the beam and shattered into a scattered pile of kindling. But before the fake Celestia could be satisfied with her kill, the pile of kindling suddenly swirled about and reformed back into the growling Timberwolf. While the figure was still surprised at what she had seen, Plank took that opportunity to leap at her, tackling her midair and bring her to the ground.

"Let me go, you foul beast!" She shouted, "You'll ruin everything!"

Plank just tightened his grip upon her, using his large paws to pin her down. He then gave a few howls, and shortly after someone could be heard rushing in their direction. Judging from the calls, it sounded like TD. "Celestia" took the opportunity to turn into a small filly to get out of his grip and ran for the sleeping Prince at a distance.

"You can't stop me! I've waited too long for this!" She shouted and turned into a purple unicorn figure known as Twilight, shooting the wolf once again with an energy beam. This time, Plank dodged the attack, but before he could rush to Joy's defense, an explosion erupted between him and the shapeshifter. From it rose a blood-red spirit with ghostly armor and a sword. It was almost human in appearance, but it gave off a sense of dread. It's face couldn't be seen, for a cruel metal helmet covered the place where its head would be.

"Stay away from the boy," it warned in a dark spectral voice, raising its sword and pointing it at the shapeshifter.

"I can't lose now!" She shouted, as she suddenly took the form of a different figure, "I will not lose!"

She now looked like the Alicorn form of Twilight. She shot a beam towards the blood-red figure in front of her. The figure just blocked the attack with his sword, causing the magic to deflect back at the figure.

"You already have," the spirit said. He then stretched his hand towards the figure and an ear-splitting shriek emitted from the spirit, filling the figure with fear. As it did, a scream came from the direction of the gates and a wave of sound struck the figure, flinging her to the ground. Serena galloped to the spirit's side shortly after, followed by TD. He was glaring at the shapeshifter.

"Not another move," TD warned, "or it will be your last, demon!"

"I am NOT a demon!" the figure said, "And I must take this boy to him! I can't fail... other wise..."

The figure began to cry and turned to a little filly again. It looked like she was alluring them once again, but something about her tears felt so real... Serena suddenly turned to TD.

"Uncle, she's not faking her emotions," Serena said.

"She?" TD looked to the figure. The spirit showed no emotions, but was instead deathly silent. Plank was still crouched and ready.

"Do you have a name?" TD asked.

"They call me Mimikurse," The figure explained, turning back into Bubble, still sobbing, "I had a real name a long time ago, it was something like... I don't remember." The figure looked at them, "But are.. you trying to trap me or something in this way..?"

TD was silent for a count of ten, then he lowered his guard.

"I can't let you take Joy," he said softly, "but I won't kill you either. I can tell that you are in a troubled state currently. If you fail your masters, you will probably die; on the other hand, the same goes if you try to take me on. So, I'm instead going to try a different approach, as I feel that you don't want to do this. I'm not trying to trap you... I'm offering you a choice, a chance to make things right."

"You can't make it right!" She protested, "You'll only make the situations worse!" She stomped her hoof on the ground, "Only he can... he promised me that he'll remove this CURSE after this... last... task." She sobbed.

She then suddenly changed her form into many different forms, seen and unseen. The group kept staring at her transformations. Eventually, she morphed into a human girl with brown hair, fair skin and green eyes. Then suddenly, she shrieked painfully before morphing into Bubble again and looking towards them while some blood flowed from her eyes. TD came over to her slowly, his eyes giving off only a caring expression.

"He is not the only one with powerful magic," he said, "and I have sensed the level of the curse. I can remove it from you, if you'll let me." TD looked her in the eyes. "Please, let me help you like someone once did for me..."

Behind him, Serena was looking to her just as hopefully. The spirit was still silent and unmoving, but had at least sheathed his sword. Plank gave a pleading whimper as if to say, "Just give him a chance."

"If you think you can do that, then..." She closed her eyes, "Please get rid of this..."

TD nodded and slowly placed a hand on her head and started chanting in a strange language, as his hands glowed and a surge of power entered her body. He seemed to be putting considerable effort into it. After a few moments, he stopped chanting signaling that he had done his job. However, right when he finished, his eyes glowed with a white light and his expression changed into one of surprise. He suddenly reached out with his other hand and wrenched his hand from her head, falling backwards onto the ground when he did. His eyes stopped glowing when he did.

"Uncle!" Serena called, rushing over to him. Plank followed her example while the spirit simply stared at the still-unconscious Joy. TD sat up and leaned against Plank for support.

"What happened?" Serena asked. TD looked at Mimirkurse, a look of disbelief on his face.

"It can't be..." he whispered.

*Joy's POV*

As I was coming around I heard many sounds, most of them were hurting my head badly. TD was right, she was an imposter, that means I actually kissed... but that wasn't my fault. Then I realized that Bubble was still missing and we needed to find her. I opened my eyes and got up to see something really unexpected. TD was staring at the fake Bubble as if she was... vaguely familiar to him.

"It can't be..." I heard him whisper. But I hardly paid attention to this. I made a grunt of discomfort and anger as I got up and used to my magic to float her in front of me.

"Tell me! Where. Is. Bubble?!"

Then something happened that I had not expected. TD shouted, "Joy, DON'T!" and a wave of energy knocked me down, breaking my hold on her. Shocked by this sudden action of TD's, I gave him a glare of anger while the others were just looking at what was happening with as much confusion as me. Along with Serena and Plank, there was a spirit-like being which I had never seen before. Ignoring us, TD looked to the fake Bubble and asked, "Mimikurse...what was your mother's name? Can you remember?"

"My mother's name..." she said "That was something like... Nyx... as far as I remember."

TD was silent, then stood up and walked over to "Mimikurse" as if to confirm something. He looked closely at her, then a few tears ran down his cheeks.

"I can't believe it," he said in wonder, "After all these years... I thought I'd never live to see this day..."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

All of the others as well as I wanted to ask the same thing, but I was really worried about Bubble. Did the fake have TD in some kind of mind control? I needed to know where Bubble was. I had to ask her. But if she had TD on her side, then it'd be really hard for me to attack her now. Then suddenly, I saw that false Bubble was morphing into another form. It looked like a human, but something about it was really different. I looked away as I felt a strong urge to do so afterwards. TD seemed to realize what it was and said, "Here, this should help."

With a snap, a flash of light appeared in the corner of my vision. I looked back and saw that Mimikurse now was wearing a kind of pink dress. TD gave a shrug, as if to say that it was the only thing he could think of at the time, then he sighed.

"Nyx was the name of one of my previous wives, before Twilight," TD explained, "Her kind... had very short lifespans. I... abandoned her to protect her kind... from myself, for back then I was still the villain. It pained me to do it though, for I learned not long after that she was pregnant. I was saddened that I'd never see my little girl grow up..."

TD suddenly burst into tears and fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry. Sorry I couldn't be the father I should've been, sorry for leaving, attacking her kind... I'm sorry for everything."

She kept staring at the TD. Her expressions only showed surprise and then suddenly she began to sob and went on her knees to hold his hand.

"Mother... told me a long time ago," She sobbed as she wiped her tears, "If I see my father ever again... don't forget to give him this." She closed her fist as it glowed and then opened it again. It was a sparkly dark blue flower, which sparkled somewhat like aunt Luna's mane. "It's a night rose. Do you recognize this?"

TD took a look a it, then a small smile appeared on his face.

"I do. She sometimes wore one in her hair, especially in the summer," he said. He looked up at Mimikurse's face. "You look so much like her."

She just hugged him and broke into tears. TD was her father, I just couldn't believe this. TD was much more unpredictable than I actually thought.  
Then I suddenly felt another jolt in my head.

"BUBBLE!" I yelled, as I saw something really horrible. I was about to burst with panic and anger. I stomped my foot on the ground creating a shockwave through the ground. It was enough to bring their attention towards me.

"TD, I don't care what she is to you. You must ask her where's my Bubble!" I demanded angrily, "Your precious daughter has hidden her... Ask. Her. Where. Is. She?"

TD looked to Mimikurse.

"Mimi (Me-me)," he said gently, already giving her a nickname, "Where did they take Bubble? Please... I won't let them harm you. Where are they?"

She smiled to hear this name, "Alright... father." She said as she looked towards me, "She's been hidden in an old empty apartment just a little ways from the railway station."

I got even more furious at this and more worried by what I thought I saw.

"Let's get her out of there then," I said "And TD, stay out of my path this time! I want to destroy those pieces of useless scrap myself!"

"No promises," TD stated. He then snapped his fingers and all of us found ourselves just outside the railroad station. The spirit from before was not with us this time, but something told me that he was close by.

"Okay." I said "Now where's that apartment you speak of?"

Mimikurse nodded and lead us to an old and broken apartment nearby. Its condition suggested that it hadn't been used for years.

"Bubble, I'm coming," I said and rushed inside the apartment, ignoring the others.

The inside was dusty and eerily quiet. The only noises I could hear was the sound of my own breathing and the creeks of the floorboards whenever I moved. I'd have thought that it was truly abandoned due to how quiet it was. Except that it was too quiet...

"Bubble!" I called her "Where are you?"

I knew that she must be here or else that imposter was lying to us, which I hope was my only negative thought. Just then, I heard, but just barely heard, a floor board creek while I wasn't moving. It came from behind... Suddenly, something popped over my head, and a voice hissed, "Not a sound boy, or you die! I didn't come this far to not uphold my end of the bargain!"

That was so sudden and surprising! I gritted my teeth in fury as I silently charged my magic to use a trick which I haven't used for years. My mind was only focused on saving Bubble and my body was burning from the flow of energy. I finally made an energy explosion to throw away whatever was behind me. It seemed to work and my assailant released his hold on me as I threw off the bag he had covered my head with. Turning around, I saw a large figure with four arms. He was similar to the rest of the robots I had encountered in the recent years, but this one had orange eyes and he actually had facial features. He smiled at me.

"Careful boy," he said, "Every moment you fight me, your sweetheart's death will only become more painful."

It only got me even more furious. I looked at him with rage-filled eyes as I felt that my fury was getting more and more intense. My eyes started to glow. Then, an idea crossed my mind.

I smirked at him and said, "You're such a coward. After all, all of your machines are useless pieces of bucking scrap."

"Oh please!" the robot smirked himself. "Those were cannon fodder, simply to test your power. And to confirm my suspicions. You see, when I first sent that one bot to assist Discord, I was doing it with the intention of assisting my client. However, when HE showed up and made my plans go south, I had to be sure. So, I sent that traitor Windago at you with his friends. Everything else was simply a means to make him reveal himself. You know who I speak of. The poorly-named Terror of Dimensions. Or should I say, William?"

"If you think you're this great, then why are you using an innocent mare as your protection token?" I smirked again, while also wanting to crush his head. "That's right, you fear that you can't win against me."

"I exploit the weaknesses of my enemies," the robot said calmly. "Emotions being the most common one to exploit from your kind. It makes you weak against me. However, unlike you, I will show no remorse or hesitation. After all, I'm not the one who's sweetheart is being held hostage."

While he was explaining himself and his acts, that gave me a chance to use my swift speed and get behind him. From there, I was able to grasp his head in my magical hold without him knowing this. By the time he acknowledged this, I had my aura hold completely around his head.

"Only a shock and you're done for," I said, "And one more thing..." I strengthened my invisible grip around his neck area, "Don't ever mention her like this!"

The robot laughed. "Fool. Do you not know when you've met your match?"

Then it was my turn to be surprised. With the same speed I had shown earlier, he released my hold of him and threw me several feet away from him. A sword appeared in each of his hands and he smiled.

"I've waited a long time for this," he said, as electricity coursed through the blades.

"You'll... REGRET THIS!" I shouted, as I stood up on my feet and looked towards him. I was feeling so much anger and worry at the same time. I was breathing heavily and my whole body felt like it was in flames. Then I heard only one voice in my head.

 _"Rise, Light Bringer,"_ It said, _"Rise!"_

I looked towards the robot as aura was blazing around my body. The robot was unfazed, as he simply lifted his sword and with the same blinding speed, he charged at me. As he got closer, I lifted my hand and threw him several feet away with a burst of my magic. I roared with anger as I looked towards him.

*Outside Joy's POV*

The robot saw that the human boy before him was transforming. He grew flame wings from his back and his irises became brighter and slightly larger too. His shirt was burned by the explosion. And now he was looking straight towards the robot. Standing- no, floating- in the air before him was not that 'weak' boy anymore. He was something else.

"It appears I underestimated you, boy," the robot said. It was unclear what he was feeling. "You aren't as weak as I thought. But you will still fall. I defeated TD, and even in your new form, he is far more powerful than you could dream! And I WILL uphold my end of the bargain, even if I have to drag your lifeless corpse before my client's feet!"

The robot prepared himself for combat once more, as the swords sprouted chains from the bottom of their handles and wrapped around each of his arms. Joy didn't say anything, he only smirked and looked towards the robot, implying that he was ready. He clenched his fists and looked towards him with his toothy grin, while summoning a blazing double sword in his right hand. The robot attacked again, using the extended reach that his weapons allowed, along with the fact that he had four arms, to his advantage. His attacks were all wicked fast, his technique flawless. All bent on one purpose: to finish the job.

Not to say that he was necessarily succeeding. Joy in his new form was stopping the majority of his attacks, using his new weapon and counterattacking him. He was also using his speed and magic for some surprise attacks. No doubt he was putting up a good fight, even though he had been hurt by a few small slash wounds across his arms and legs. Some blood dropped on the floor from his wounds. But he wasn't ready to give up anyways.

"Take this!" Joy shouted as he made another explosion. Only this time, the explosion was much stronger and the call of a phoenix was also heard along with this, surprising the robot once again.

"You are... stronger than I thought boy," the robot said, grunting now and then, "But even in your current state, you can't win alone!"

With a few strategic strikes, the robot managed to wound Joy some more with his blades. He smirked, for while Joy's energy might eventually run out, he himself had plenty to spare. But before he could ponder this, a loud scream was heard and a burst of pink magic fired from down the hall behind Joy and struck the robot. Serena floated in soon afterwards, glaring at the robot.

"Then I guess he's lucky enough to have a few friends on his side!" she shouted at him, standing beside Joy. Joy looked towards Serena without an expression on his face, but his eyes told her that he was happy to see her. Taunting him with his weapon once again, Joy gestured to the robot to try again. The robot readied himself, but when he heard more movement behind Joy, he changed his mind. Lifting one of his arms close to his mouth, he shouted, "Kill her! Don't stand there, you miserable rats! KILL BUBBLE!"

Serena screamed again, a burst of magic firing from her mouth when she did. However, before it connected with the robot, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"NO!" Joy yelled as he disappeared in flames, as well as with a blinding light. When Serena was able to see again, neither the robot nor Joy was to be seen.

*Joy's POV*

I teleported myself, thinking only about my dear sweetheart Bubble. I couldn't let something happen to her. I looked around, noticing that I was in some kind of basement. In front of me were several creatures that I recognized. They were humans, but they didn't look too friendly. Each carried a weapon in their hands. One of them had a knife and was standing over an unconscious, wounded figure. It took me only one look to recognize my poor sweetheart. The sight of her filled me with rage, but I tried to compose myself. They were closer to her than I was and there was no way I could reach her in time... until I remembered a Shout TD once taught me.

"Tiid Klo Ul!" I shouted, and all of sudden, time slowed down for me. Then, with the help of this time-slowing Shout and my super speed, I reached Bubble and grabbed my unconscious sweetheart. I was so raged and saddened at the same time as I looked at her in such a state. Then, without wasting a second, I rushed away with her in my arms, away from those cruel creatures.

 _They're humans like me. How they can be that cruel!?_ I was really confused but I had to take her to a safe place before it was too... _No! I can't let that happen to her!_

As I rounded a bend, I almost collided with TD, who was headed my direction. Behind him was Serena and Mimikurse. For some reason, TD seemed to be the only one unaffected by the Slow Time Shout.

"Joy!" he called, bringing me to a stop. He then noticed Bubble's condition and placed his hand on her head as the Shout wore off.

"She's almost gone. Quick! Set her down!"

With a snap, TD brought up a comfortable bed for her to lay on and urged me towards it. I laid her on the bed. She wasn't moving at all, only breathing slowly. That made my heart sink inside my stomach.

 _Don't leave me Bubble. Please don't leave me already. We still has so many promises to keep. I promise you, our wedding will be the biggest of all, even more graceful than my cousin's. We'll get a home for ourselves on a hill. There'll be everything and I'll never leave your side. Please don't leave me like this._

I recalled all of our promises we made across to this time and I didn't notice when I was sobbing like a child.

"I will not let these monsters live anymore!"

TD looked to me and said sympathetically, "Don't worry. She's not dying on my watch."

Serena looked to TD. "Uncle, are you sure about this?"

"Positive. Save your energy, Serena. I'll sing the song."

He pulled out something I had never seen before and set it next to Bubble. It was a glowing flower. He brought it close to Bubble's head, then closed his eyes and sang:

 _Flower, gleam and glow_  
 _Let your power shine_  
 _Make the clock reverse_  
 _Bring back what once was mine_

 _Heal what has been hurt_  
 _Change the Fates' design_  
 _Save what has been lost_  
 _Bring back what once was mine_

 _What once was mine_

As TD sang, the flower started glowing and a surge of energy came out of the flower and into her body. At the end of the song, TD put away the flower and I couldn't believe my eyes. All of Bubble's wounds had healed and her breathing had returned to normal. She slowly fluttered her eyes open to look towards me in my new form. Even though a pair of burning wings had sprouted from behind my back and my eyes were slightly larger than normal, she still recognized the concern for her in my eyes.

"Joy..." I nodded. "You look... good with wings." She said.

She was still too exhausted to get up, so I leaned over to hug her. I sobbed as I kissed her on her forehead. "It's good to know that you like them."

Just then, there was a shout and the humans from before rushed up from the way I had come, waving their weapons as they tried to attack. However, TD was too fast for them.

"Immobilius!" he cried, and the figures were suddenly paralyzed. As he did, a neigh was heard in the distance, one which I was familiar with, followed by a voice.

"Joy!" it called, "Where are you?"

"I'm here Winter!" I replied loudly. Soon after, the Windago in question phased through the walls, followed shortly after by some Royal Guards coming down the halls. With them was... Aunt Luna and Mother?

"Mom! Aunt Luna!" I shouted loudly "You're here?"

They looked towards me and took a sigh of relief.

"Joy, why don't ever tell me before leaving the house?" Mother said in annoyed tone, "I'm still your Mom, you know!"

I looked away in embarrassment and then looked towards aunt Luna.

"Don't expect any help from me this time, nephew," She said.

"Ah, easy on the lad," TD said, "It's my fault that we left in the first place."

Just then, Winter noticed Mimikurse and neighed, "That's her! The one from that robot's database!"

The guards started to move in on her, but TD stepped into their way.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" he stated, "Don't arrest her! She's with me. More than you realize."

"Care to explain?" one guard asked. TD looked to the shapeshifter beside him.

"Meet Mimikurse... my daughter."

"DAUGHTER?!" Everyone except Joy and Serena shouted. Bubble glared at TD and then towards Mimikurse. All were silent when one rightfully angry mare broke the silence.

"So, you must have a good reason to kidnap me and bringing me here where I almost DIED! Don't you?"

"I know that's not enough of an apology but... sorry..." the daughter of TD said, "I had no choice left."

TD placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up too much," he said gently, "He made a fool out of us all. I am the one who should be sorry. I was a terrible parent, and even if I was the villain back then, it's no excuse either. I shouldn't have abandoned you or your mother like that... I'm the one to blame."

"Hmph!" Bubble huffed and looked away, "Whatever!" she said coldly, as she was really angry that time. I didn't said anything at all.

"Don't be bitter, Bubble," TD said, "Seriously, please stop before I end up using a command spell on accident. It's not her fault."

Bubble grunt in anger once again and looked towards TD and his daughter with rage.

"How dare you threaten me!" She shouted and her horn started to get charged. She got up and aimed for TD. That was getting a little serious. I had to stop this before it got even worse.

"TD, please! Try to understand, she's just angry," I said to him, "Please don't say such things to make her even more angry." I held my hands. "And please don't use any kind of spell right now." I said this while Bubble was ready to attack TD with some of the energy she had left. She may not have been strong, especially in her current state, but she was a really daring one for sure.

"I said 'on accident' for a reason," TD muttered, "Fine. Sorry Bubble."

Even with the apology, it was still clear that he didn't find Bubble's actions threatening at all.

"That's... fine then," she said and the glow on her horn disappeared. She sat on the bed without any further talk.

"So... we're cool again," I said as I returned to my normal form, "I think we can let it go now." I looked towards everyone's faces around in the room.

"I suppose so," a guard mumbled. Winter took it much better.

"Sorry for that," he said to Mimikurse, "I just wanted to keep my friends safe. No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," she said.

"No hard feelings at all," I replied.

"Fine... no hard feelings!" Bubble said, crossing her forelegs.

TD just gave a small laugh, then a small beeping noise was heard on his person. He pulled out a clock of some kind and remarked, "Oh shoot! I need to get you home Serena, or else you'll be late for that concert."

Serena nodded, then looked to me.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," she said. "Care to see me off? Uncle can't perform the spell in here without some... inconveniences."

I nodded and replied, "Sure." Bubble nodded as well as she got out of that comfy bed.

"Why not...?" Bubble said when she suddenly remembered that she didn't even bother to ask the girl's name. "What was your name again?"

"They called her... Mimikurse," TD said, "But I don't think either of us know her real name. What would you prefer to be called, Mimi?"

"Actually, I was asking her," Bubble giggled while looking towards Serena, while Mimikurse was thinking of a better name to call her by. At last, she thought of such a name.

"I like the name Mimi," She said.

"Then Mimi it is," TD said, "Also, sorry Bubble. That's what I get for not thinking ahead."

Serena giggled, then said to Bubble, "Serena Dusk. I'm a Siren."

"Nice to meet you," Bubble said, "I'm Bubble Heart." Then she smiled. "But you probably know my name already."

Serena giggled, then the beeping occurred on TD's watch again as he started to walk outside. A bark was heard, suggesting that Plank was waiting as well.

"Well, guess I'd better go," Serena said, "Care to see me off?"

"Oh, before we go... Lock those humans up tightly please," TD said to some guards, "I don't wish to see them around much longer."

With no more talk we headed outside with Serena and TD. Mother and aunt Luna muttered something to each other and giggled. I didn't understand what they said, but I was sure gonna be in some kind of trouble for this.

"I hope to see you again." Mimi said to me.

I looked towards her and was chuckling at one thought. _How would Princess Twilight react to this?_

"Guess that's goodbye for now," I said.

Just then, a portal opened up and Zach peeked through.

"Dad, come on! The concert's... starting."

He had paused at the sight of Mimi, as if he could sense something off of her. Serena took her chance and with a final wave she pushed past Zach and into the portal. Zach continued to stare at Mimi for a moment, then said, "Hello, half-sister."

Mimi stepped forward a bit and seemed to also be in awe of the creature before her. But I was busy giving TD a goodbye to notice properly.

"Goodbye TD," I said.

"Goodbye," Bubble said as she looked towards me and then towards TD again, "And... thanks..."

The others also waved their hooves towards TD.

"One moment," TD said, then looked to Mimi. "Mimi... I want to say... sorry. For all the wrongs I've caused you and your mother. I wasn't a good parent then and... I was also a selfish, evil brat. I know it's not much of an excuse, and I'm not asking you to forgive me for it. I'm asking you... will you give me another chance to be the father I should've been to you?"

"If you promise," She said.

TD smiled. "I promise. And when I make a promise, I intend to keep it till my dying breath. And just in case..." TD performed an age-old vow among my friends. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Then yes... I'll give you another chance." Mimi said and hugged her father. All the others smiled to see this heartwarming moment.

TD then stood up and said, "Come on, let's go home. I think you're gonna like it there."

With a final wave (and a sneaky lick to Bubble's face from Plank), TD and his family stepped into the portal and disappeared from our world.

"Let's go home," Mom said, "And remember you're not forgiven this time my Joy."

"So I'll get punishment?" I asked. Aunt Luna nodded. "Alright, I deserve this anyway." I sighed as I remembered kissing Mimi.

"No you don't my sweetie. You saved my life once again," Bubble said "If there's any punishment you deserve then, that's only a snuggly one." Bubble giggled.

"He'll get punishment anyway," Aunt Luna said "One he'll never forget." She giggled.

"Indeed." Mother reassured as she was about to put me on her back to fly me back to my home.

"Wait a minuet Princess," Bubble said and looked towards me. "My sweetie, lift me in your hooves, please," She pleaded.

I looked towards mother who nodded with a eye roll. Then I grabbed her in my arms and mother brought us on her back and all of us flew back to the Canterlot as a few guards went to Manehatten for a much needed purpose to tell Bubble's mother that she's safe and sound.

"So about your punishment," Mother said

Luna giggled. "We've a well-deserved punishment for both of you."

They were telling it as if we were going to be punished, but their faces were saying something else.

"Prince Joy Star of Canterlot, you're sentenced to life imprisonment... "aunt Luna said as I was surprised "...along with Bubble Heart."

"I'm... WHAT!" I yelped in surprise.

"WHAT!" Bubble's cheek glowed deeply along with a smile almost as wide as Pinkie Pie's. "Really?"

In response, both sisters nodded in reassurance. Did that mean what I think that was? I thought I would pass out with joy. Bubble was very happy for many reasons. She hugged me with excitement as we continued back to our home.

**End of Joy's POV**

* * *

"You failed as well," Dark figure said to the robot, "You, Mr. Strongest." It chuckled "But on the other hand..." it showed him a stone which was in his left hand, "I succeeded."

"That boy caught me by surprise," the robot grumbled, "Never have I had to fight his kind of magic before. My systems are not built to take it."

"His kind of magic is strongest one of his kind." The voice from mirror spoke "And that's why I needed him."

"Don't worry master," The dark figure said, "Soon that boy will be captured now and you'll be free once again," It laughed "As now, we have this..."

He showed forth the stone. Suddenly, the stone glowed and the spirit that had saved Joy appeared.

"Who disturbs the Nazgul's rest?" it demanded.

"We did!" The dark figure said, "And what you're going to do about that?" It chuckled.

"You can't kill me, and I can't kill you," the Nazgul stated, "But I can rid you of the power you wish to gather from this stone if you try to harness its power."

"And how you're going to do this?" Dark figure inquired, "Destroying yourself. Not happening!" It said before it captured the spirit in a purple energy bubble and darkness began to enter into the spirit. "Now, you'll obey me."

The Nazgul, however, was unaffected by the corruption of the dark figure's magic. On the other hand, it didn't seem able to fight back either.

"You can't see inside me!" it said partly in triumph, "Nothing of my soul remains, and I serve none but the Terror of Dimensions!"

"Then I banish you!" The voice from mirror spoke, as the sphere began to glow dark blue in color, and eventually the Nazgul disappeared.

"What did you do master?"

"I banished him to another dimension. The one from where he cannot return easily," The voice from mirror replied.

"Thank you, my master. Now we can continue our plans without any hurdle," Dark figure replied.

* * *

 **Oh d-d-dear! Piglet is getting to me too much for this outro. But all that aside, things are looking rather dramatic and intense. Will this conflict be resolved? Will Joy ever learn who he really is? Will I ever stop trying to make things funny? Find out next time! (Or just ask me through PM).**

 **Edit: Songs used are as follows:**

 **"Sound of Music," from (what else?) _The Sound of Music_.  
"Healing Incantation," from Disney's _Tangled_.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! I'll cya later!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Okay, this time we decided to do this from Bubble's POV. How cool is that? Well, not necessarily cool, but it mixes things up a bit.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"Oh!" TD shouted, as he sat in front of a TV screen with a controller in hand. He was trying to kill some time, as it would be at least fifteen more minutes before any of his family would be returning to the castle. And he decided to kill that time by playing one of his favorite childhood games: Star Fox 64.

"Guess I've still got my touch," he said to himself, "Beat that last boss in less than a minute. Sometimes, it's sad of how fast I can take them down."

As he started to try another level, an explosion suddenly erupted in his room. TD looked to it with a jerk, expecting a fight to go down. However, when he saw the blood-red Nazgul spirit in front of him, he instead was a bit worried.

"Servant, why are you here?" he asked, "Shouldn't you be back in Joy's universe to protect him?"

The Nazgul bowed low before TD.

"I have failed you, my master," the spirit said.

"Failed?" TD was confused.

"Our enemies have obtained the stone for their own uses," the Nazgul replied, "I was banished before I could stop them. I wasn't strong enough, master."

TD groaned as he shut off his gaming system. He didn't care that he had to turn off the game; he was frustrated that Joy's enemies were so persistent.

"You have not failed me, my servant," TD said to him, "Return to Joy's universe, but try to keep a low profile for now. I'll see you soon."

"I live only to serve you, master," the Nazgul stated, then disappeared in a burst of red flames. TD waited for him to leave, then sighed.

"Look out Joy, cause I'm coming again," TD said, "I hope that for once, your lovely time isn't ruined by their attacks..."

TD stood up and walked towards the door. He wasn't leaving just yet.

First, he had to get some backup, just in case...

* * *

**Bubble's POV**

Oh, I couldn't believe that the most special day of my life was only a few days away! A few months ago before the fall, things went pretty horribly for me, but then my sweetie Joy came like a Knight in shining armor and saved me from the claws of death. Afterwards, Princess Celestia and Luna decided that our wedding should be held soon now.

After all these troubles and trials, me and my sweetie were going to be bonded for life. Nopony knows how excited I was this time. Today was the day for selecting the wedding gown. I was going to a boutique with my Prince's cousin Cadence to select the perfect gown for me, as she was the Princess of Love and knew Joy more than anypony else after his mother.

At last, we were inside the Canterlot Royal Boutique. I wanted the perfect gown to look like the most beautiful mare in all of Equestria in my sweetie's eyes. As for my Prince, he was also busy in shopping to buy a perfect brooch for me. Though I mostly don't care about accessories, but I wanted to see what he picked for me. Just then, I heard a loud noise and several voices cry out in discomfort. Then I heard a voice that both annoyed me, yet at the same time excited me.

"Oh sure! I ask for a smooth teleportation, and I get this!"

This was followed by a few more voices, all of whom I recognized.

"And you wonder why _I_ want to do the teleportations," a female voice stated.

"Alright, who's hoof is in my face?" a younger female voice asked.

"It's mine," a male voice said, "Sorry."

"Zach, could you move your wing please?" a third female asked, "It's poking my eye."

"That's actually _my_ wing, Screwy," a second male said. "And, please tell me it's not daytime."

"It's daytime," a fourth female said.

"I asked you not to tell me that."

I heard these voices while I was going to the changing room to check my new gown. The voices was coming from the same room. I knew he wouldn't be far from coming. TD, Joy's friend from another universe, along with his family, had dropped in.

"Feeling comfortable in there?" I asked, being a little sarcastic and giggled. "I wonder what happened to you for ending up like this?"

"I can only guess," TD muttered as I opened the door. Inside, I saw TD, Princess Twilight, Zach, Diana, Screwball, Tracker, and the recent addition Mimi all piled up in an uncomfortable-looking manner, cramped in the space provided. That soon changed however, with a snap of TD's fingers- actually, Joy told me that he only pretends to and the sound effect is heard anyways. In a flash, the room suddenly became large enough to fit at least ten more ponies, and the group managed to untangle themselves. TD stood to his full height, which much like my sweetie, was more than twice my own.

"Sorry to drop in unexpectedly. No pun intended," TD said as he flashed me a smile.

"No problem." I replied as Cadence came there and looked towards the TD along with his whole family. She giggled to see them.

"Nice to see you Princess Twilight and William," Cadence said "You must be here to attend my cousin's wedding along with your family."

Then suddenly, in another flash, I saw the most strange figure in all of Equestria: Discord. After making a great mess around in our land, he finally decided to reform and I learned that he wasn't so bad after all.

"Hohooo, our friends are here already!" He said, "I didn't even sent invitations yet."

A pile of invitations appeared in front of him as he said that.

"Hi Discord," TD greeted, "I hope you're not still mad at me for basically trodding all over you like a second rate clown the last time we met."

"About that," Discord said, "I was the one who dropped you inside this room. SURPRISE!"

Some streamers came out from his claws with a small party cannon explosion.

"Oh did you now?" TD said with a smirk. Discord suddenly found himself inside a magic Genie lamp as TD laughed.

"Bit of a payback on my part," he said, "Kinda funny how these lamps work, huh?" His voice amplified several times above norm and I could suddenly see him floating in space.

"EPIC COSMIC POWER!" He then shrunk down inside the lamp himself and said in a smaller voice, "Itty bitty living space."

"William, I think he gets it," Princess Twilight remarked. With a sigh, TD returned everything back to normal... except for the room, of course.

"I'll get you someday." Discord said, as he suddenly was standing in a postpony's clothes. "For now, I have to distribute these invitations all over Equestria."

And with that, he disappeared. I was a little excited when I was thinking about the wedding. Though I had to try out that gown first.

"Excuse me!" I said gesturing towards my gown, " I need to try this on, so if you may. Please..."

"Oh," TD said, "Why does this sound like Rarity?" He put on a mock impression of her voice. "STAY OUT! We're getting dressed!" Then an Applejack impression. "How many times do I have to say it? We don't. Wear. Clothes!" He chuckled as he used his normal voice, "But I'll respect your wishes."

He walked over to a wall, where two levers stood and a clone appeared nearby him.

"Pull the lever, Kronk," TD said, and the clone pulled one of them When he did, a hole appeared under the original TD and I heard him cry out, "Wrong leveeeeeeerr!" followed by a splash of water. Princess Twilight rolled her eyes in amusement, Zach and Diana giggled, while Screwball, Tracker and Mimi simply shook their heads while smiling.

"I'll be driven insane if I keep watching him doing this stuff," I said to myself and went into the changing room. I put my gown on and looked into the mirror. I was looking good. The design, the laces, everything seemed fine. There was still a little work needed to make it look even more beautiful. And Miss Rarity would be pleased to help me there.

"Looking good Bubble," I said to myself again, "You think Joy will like this gown?" I asked my reflection. "I'm sure..." I giggled. Then I removed the gown.

I came out from changing room with the gown in my hoof.

"I think this is just~ perfect," I said to Cadence, "What do you say?"

"Why do I even have that lever?" TD asked no one in particular, as he suddenly came out of a door that appeared on one of the walls.

"Because you like those references, Dad," Zach answered.

"Eh, you got me there," TD shrugged.

"Arg!" Tracker hollered in frustration. He was standing in front of a mirror, but being a vampire he had no reflection. "It's occasions like this that I wish I could see myself."

"Don't worry about it," Screwball replied, putting a hoof on his shoulder, "You look like a million bits just as you are now."

Tracker gave her a smile. "Thanks, Screwy."

Cadence didn't reply, as she was watching TD doing some crazy stuff. I coughed and called her again.

"Cadence!" She looked towards me, "I said, how do you like this gown?"

"Sorry... I wasn't listening. This gown looks perfect. I'm sure Joy will love to see you in this."

I blushed at this and replied, "Thanks Cadence."

That made me even more excited. In a while, the manager of the boutique came over and looked towards Cadence.

"Your highness, will you please tell your friend to stop doing that stuff? He's scaring the other costumers."

"Oh sure!" TD remarked, "They're not at all scared of the pony with dragon eyes, or the vampire pony, or the one with the swirly eyes, or even the shapeshifter. Nooooo, they're scared of the human in the room!"

"To be fair, you are doing some pretty crazy stuff, William," Princess Twilight stated.

"Doesn't he always?" I muttered.

"Yeah. I must admit, watching you doing crazy stuff is much more fun than sitting on a throne all the day," Cadence said, "Still, you need to stop."

"I'm with Cadence," I said, "And by the way, Joy is also a human, remember. You'll never see them scared of him."

"Quiet, or I'll turn you both into roses," TD threatened, though it wasn't clear if he meant it or not. But thankfully, I didn't have to worry about that. An aura of magic suddenly grabbed him by his ear and dragged him down near Princess Twilight's face.

"Owowowow!" TD complained, then, "Twi, your horn is inches away from my skull!"

"That's the idea," she said with a smirk, "Now, what are you going to do?"

TD sighed. "Fine, I'll stop."

Satisfied, she let go of his ear with her magic. Unfortunately, he hadn't regained his balance and ended up falling backwards onto the floor.

"Ow."

"Thanks Princess Twilight," I said, "Now, we must head towards the Castle."

"What's happening th- Nope, don't tell me," TD said as he got up and followed us out, "I just realized what it is. I'm just an idiot."

"So, who's going to be Joy's best man?" Tracker asked.

"I hope it isn't Flash Sentry," Zach muttered, "That sounds a little too cliche to me."

"Maybe Spike?" Mimi suggested.

"Nah, he'd eat the rings before they even got halfway through the vows," Screwball stated.

"Why don't we wait and see for ourselves?" Princess Twilight suggested.

"I like the idea of a surprise," Diana piped up. I only just realized that she had spoken for the first time since arriving.

As we reached the castle, TD and the whole of his family were surprised by the view. The palace and its surroundings were being decorated by the workers. I knew he'd be surprised. That was Joy's mother's idea. She wanted our wedding to be the most graceful wedding in all of Equestria. Not like Cadence felt anything bad about this. After all, the said to-be-groom was her cousin, aka son of Princess Celestia.

"Wow!" TD remarked, "I wish I could see the looks on my Rarity's face if she ever saw this."

"You may still be able to," Princess Twilight replied, "Just send her a few pictures."

"Tempting, very tempting," TD stated. He then added, "Wonder how long it'll take Serena to arrive to the wedding? She told me that if you and Joy ever married, Bubble, that she wanted to be there in person. Which reminds me, who would you like to be invited? Other than the lot of us that are already here?"

"We already invited my mother, Twilight and her parents and friends, those three little fillies from the CMC, Discord, Fancy Pants, Fleur, Lyra, Bonbon, Octavia, Vinyl (of course), Derpy, Dinky, Dr. Hooves, Berry and her little sister... and there are many others from all over the Equestria and yes..." That part made me frown a little, "There are some nobles as well. I don't know, who else should we invite?"

"Well, that's quite a crowd," TD noted. Just then, a beep was heard from him and he looked to his arm where a watch of some kind hung from it.

"Huh, speak of the devil," he muttered.

"I guess Serena is here," I said.

"Ding! Correct!" TD stated, "And apparently, she already knew about the occasion."

"But how will we find her?" Tracker asked, "Other than having me smell her out?"

Just then, we heard a soft yet beautiful singing in the distance; so soft and gentle, I almost hadn't noticed it. TD chuckled.

"Follow the song that seems to be ensnaring your soul," he said, and started off in the direction it came from.

"Hey there!" I heard the voice of my sweetie, "Bubble! Cadence!" I looked towards him as he came to where we were standing. "William, and Twilight too! It's so nice to you and your family." He said as he excitedly shook his front hoof with TD. He also seemed to be hearing the beautiful voice of Serena.

"Good to see you too, Joy," Princess Twilight said, giving a shake of her own hoof as well.

"We're over here, Serena!" TD called out, and in a few short moments, the Siren in question came in sight. She was wearing a dress that seemed perfect for the occasion; formal, yet pretty too.

"So good to see you guys again!" she said, as she came forward.

"Good to see you too Serena," Joy replied.

"Indeed." I said, "And I must say, you're looking quite regal in this dress."

My sweetie nodded at this. "Why are all of you standing here? Let's go inside the palace." Then he looked towards me. "I've something special for you there, my sweetheart."

"Oh, surprises!" TD said in a childlike fashion, then more seriously, "Lead the way."

"Uh, I didn't want to say anything earlier," Tracker said nervously, "But I'm feeling a bit... thirsty."

Screwball looked to him. "Don't worry, I'll take care of that."

"I still find that a little unsettling," Mimi said with a shudder.

"To be honest, the only reason I don't is because I've seen some pretty creepy and messed up stuff myself," TD remarked. "Don't ask. Seriously, that stuff still haunts me to this day."

"I don't wanna see that," I said as I looked away while Joy did the same.

"And yet you watch me and Joy eating meat," TD muttered.

"Eating meat is one thing," Screwball argued as I heard her summon something, "But drinking blood is another. Do we ever see you do that?"

"No, because on my home-planet, that is almost as bad as cannibalism," TD stated, "Which, by the way, is heavily frowned upon by the society there."

"Then there's your answer," Screwball pointed out.

I heard Tracker take a few gulps, then he said, "Alright, you can look now."

"Eating meat isn't too... strange," I said as I turned back to them, "We don't eat meat ourselves, but we have animals who are carnivores." I thought for a while. "What do you think Fluttershy feeds her predator pets, such as... eagles with?"

"Point," Joy replied, "And Griffins are also carnivores. Remember." Then he shrugged. "Well, just let us the leave biology class now and go to palace, shall we?"

"And that just makes me the odd man out," TD muttered as we continued on.

We finally reached the inside of the palace. While others were busy to enjoy the decorations, me and my sweetie were on our own way to his room. And just then, little fillies and colts gathered around Joy. Some of them have never seen him before, so they were really surprised to see him.

"I want a ride too!" A colt shouted, "My brother said it's so much fun."

"Alright," Joy said as he lift that colt on his shoulder. "Hold on tight, this can be a little bumpy." He chuckled.

"How are you so well with little colts?" I asked him, though I somewhat knew the answer.

"Maybe because unlike adult ponies, they aren't scared of me at first sight," He replied.

"Mhmm!" I said, "It seems like they're too excited to know you."

"Hope you had fun little one," He said as he brought the little colt down from his shoulder, "Ride is over now."

After this, Joy asked me to stay there and went into his room. In a while, he came back with a brooch. It was a beautiful heart shape sapphire ruby.

"I hope you like this," He said.

"I don't like this," I said, making his expression sadden for a second before I finished, "I love this." He smiled and adorned my neck with the brooch.

"This looks really beautiful on you," Joy said. I blushed and kissed his cheek at this.

"Blech!" TD's voice said from nearby. At first I thought he had been spying on us, but that soon got thrown out the window when he walked by us speaking to Princess Twilight.

"How can you ponies stand to eat that stuff?" he demanded.

"Well, we do have a different diet remember," she replied, "Plus, as far as I'm aware, that's been around... forever."

"I guess. At least it beats the food in that one prison I stayed at on Planet 501. That stuff was the definition of nasty."

I won't lie, I was a bit annoyed at his strange complaints. But as long as the wedding preparations were going smoothly, I could stand even this.

"You don't need to worry about food my friend," Joy said, directing him towards another room. "There you can have the food you like. Just beware of grumpy griffins. They tend to get cranky."

"More than anypony can handle," I added.

"Don't worry, if they try anything..." TD stated, "Let's just say they'll think twice next time."

"Basically, anypony in this family is capable of taking care of business," Tracker muttered, "Not that it helps with anything."

Joy just smiled at this. "Please don't do anything to mess up the preparations. Anything else is fine."

"I hope you can keep this in mind," I said ironically.

"Are you kidding?" TD remarked, "It's a wedding! I would sooner die than miss out on this momentous occasion!"

"Of course," Joy said smiling slyly, "I know you wouldn't do anything like this..."

Joy wasn't saying that TD could do something like this, but knowing that he's a chaotic entity, he just said what he said.

"Don't worry William," I said to him, "Neither he nor I really mean it."

"You probably should though," TD stated, "Because sometimes, I need to hear it."

"Even if it hurts him to hear it," Princess Twilight added.

"What's the worst that could happen if they did mean it?" Screwball asked, "It's not like his heart would break."

"Famous last words," Diana muttered. Mimi giggled at that statement.

"That's a relief," I said "Enjoy yourself."

Leaving them going towards the room, me and my soon-to-be husband headed towards another part of the palace. Twilight- our Twilight- and her parents were there along with her friends and many other ponies from Ponyville.

"Hey Everypony," I said.

"Nice to see you Bubble," Twilight greeted, "Congratulations."

"It's good to see that you finally decided to tie the knot," Applejack remarked.

"And... umm... congrats Prince Joy," said Fluttershy.

"Thanks everypony," Joy replied, "Thank you very much."

"This wedding is amazing!" Rainbow exclaimed taking a loop into air, "You even called the Wonderbolts?"

"Mother's idea," Joy explained, "But I figured you'd like it."

"Hello Prince Joy!"

Suddenly, Derpy bumped into Joy in excitement, knocking him to the ground while trying to hug him and Dinky went towards me galloping.

"Hi, Miss Bubble," She waved a hoof towards me while Derpy was sitting on Joy's belly wobbling her head.

"Hi Derpy, hi little Dinky," I chuckled, "We're glad that you made it here." Derpy shook her head to snap out of her wobbliness.

"We're glad as well," Derpy replied, clapping her hooves.

"Mommy's right. This wedding is best." Dinky exclaimed

"It'd be even better if I could get up," Joy said

"Ops," Derpy apologized before leaving her comfy sitting cushion. "Sorry!"

"No worries," Joy chuckled "I'm used to your crashing into me."

We greeted others as well. They congratulated us for our marriage. I was happy that not everypony's family was as racist as some of my family members.

"Well dear nephew," Suddenly I heard Princess Luna behind me. Joy and I turned around to see her. "It's nice to finally see you together." She giggled and looked towards me. Then she whispered to me.

"Bubble you know our laundr..."

He put his hoof on her lips, "Please no details..." Joy pleaded to her.

"Alright," She said, "I was just messing with you nephew."

I chuckled at his flustered state.

"Thank you aunt," Joy said.

We then headed back towards the throne room.

TD had apparently decided that the floor was a boring spot to stand on, because he was upside down on the ceiling. Tracker and Screwball were up there too, but I found it more understandable for those two. Diana was admiring the decor of the place, although she occasionally glanced out at the gardens as if she would prefer that over the public eye. Zach was chatting to a group of other ponies and seemed to be getting along with them. One mare ended up trying to hit on him, but his response was, "Sorry! I'm already taken." Princess Twilight, on the other hand, seemed to be trying to multitask. While she did end up talking to a few nobles, she occasionally checked up on her husband above their heads.

"For pony's sake, William!" she hollered up to him, "That is WAY too much popcorn to be consuming in one go!"

"You should listen to your wife William," I said to him while looking upwards, "She says what's best for you."

"I agree," My sweetie nodded in reassurance, "That much salt is really bad for health."

"Again, I have survived this long with over-consumption of salt. I think I can take it," TD announced.

"For once, I'm actually glad I can't eat popcorn," Tracker stated, "Even I can agree that it should've killed you by now."

Screwball giggled, then leaned against him where they were on the ceiling. It was very touching to see. But before I could watch this any further, a neigh was heard that we were all familiar with as our Windago friend flew into the room to join us.

"Hi everypony! Sorry I'm late," Winter said. His mane seemed to have been given a proper grooming, though how was beyond me considering that he was an ice spirit.

"Looking good Winter," Joy said.

I smiled and looked towards the ceiling once again. Tracker and Screwball are one of my favorite couples. They're somewhat like us. Maybe not as much as we are, but still they're significantly different from each other and still love each other deeply. Though I never mentioned this before, but William and Princess Twilight are my most favorite couple. They were the only couple there who were just like us.

"Bubble," My sweetie called my name, "Are you thinking about something?"

"Yeah," I replied, "Thinking about that love is a really a strange thing."

"I can only guess," My sweetie said, making me chuckle at this.

"They do look a bit funny up there," Winter remarked.

Just then, Serena came over to us with a curious look in her sea-blue eyes.

"Enjoy watching the cute couples?" she asked. Winter looked to her and for a moment, he seemed unable to speak. Maybe not too surprising; Serena's hybrid appearance and beauty alone was enough to make one speechless upon meeting her for the first time. But it was the way he seemed speechless that caught my eye. I giggled to see where it could lead to, but maybe it was only me. I looked towards Serena and gave her a look of question. Then I looked towards Winter who was still silent. Everything there just seemed to be dead silent, until Joy decided to break the ice.

"Hope you liked the decors Serena," He said.

"Hmm? Oh, yes!" Serena replied, "I've met only a few other kinds of decor that matched it. I'd say you guys managed to hit the top ten on my list."

"AHHH!"

A scream of surprise from TD followed by a crashing noise to the floor behind us suggested what had just happened to TD. Needless to say, our suspicions were confirmed when we turned around to seem him lying on the ground in his pony form.

"Thank goodness this form has insane durability," TD muttered, "Otherwise, I would've unintentionally traumatized the foals here."

I just rolled eyes at his silliness. I didn't care, cause he does stuff like that all the time when he's here. I was more interested to see Serena's reaction to the most recent situation. At last I decided to make the move.

"Serena, you remember Winter. He's really friendly, even though he's a Windago," I said.

"By the way, his name was my idea," Joy spoke up.

Serena looked to Winter and gave him a warm smile.

"Pleased to meet you," she said kindly as she shook his hoof.

"Thanks..." he replied. He still seemed a bit shy. Serena apparently knew this, because she let out a giggle.

"It's okay if you're shy," she remarked, "I'm not the best at first impressions either."

"Oh... well, that's good to he- wait a minute! How did you-?"

Serena giggled again. "I can sense the emotions of others and piece them together to figure out what's on their mind."

"Then you're probably getting an overload from Screwy and Tracker," Zach stated from nearby, apparently overhearing us on that last part.

"Looks like my son's favorite guests are here."

Suddenly I heard my soon to be mother-in-law's sweet voice. Joy went towards her to hug her.

"Where were you mother?" He said to her.

"You know," she took a sigh, "busy with some royal matters... but now I'm free for the rest of the day." She said the last words somewhat like Pinkie.

"That's good!" Joy said, "I was hoping to spend some time with you."

She released him from the hug and looked towards rest of the group.

"Greetings, my little ponies..." she greeted to them with her formal term, "I'm so glad to see you here at my dear son's wedding ceremony."

"It's always a pleasure, Princess Celestia," Princess Twilight replied, shaking her hoof.

"Sup, Tia?" TD greeted with a smile, "Glad we dropped by when we did."

"Hey, wait for us!" Screwball called down, as she and Tracker levitated down to the floor. I knew she did that with Chaos magic, but it was still hard to believe since she didn't have a horn. Zach meanwhile walked over to Celestia with Diana close behind him.

"Good to see you, Princess," Zach said politely. Diana just gave a cute smile. Mimi didn't notice Celestia just yet, as she was in the middle of a conversation with a griffin.

"Nice to see you too dear children." Princess Celestia said to Zach and Diana.

"So, anything happen lately that we should know about?" TD asked. "I see Discord's been more or less reformed, so I'm guessing that puts us in Season Four at the least."

Princess Twilight glared at him.

"Uncle, they don't understand that kind of stuff like we do," Screwball pointed out. TD sighed and tried again.

"So, what major things have happened that we missed out on?"

"Yeah, a little bit problem related to Discord," Princess Celestia gestured with her hoof, "Other than that, nothing major..."

Joy nodded in reassurance. "Thanks to those lessons and my new powers," he paused for a second, "I think I can handle most of troubles on my own."

"I know you can," Princess Celestia pulled him into a hug at this. I know he looks cute when he tries to look heroic. Nopony can't help notcing this.

"So, I want to apologize for at least one thing," TD mentioned, "That creepy spirit that came to your rescue that one time? Yeah, it's because of the stone I gave you. Long and short of it, he was that 'portion' of my power left behind to protect you and communicate with me. Sorry if he spooked ya."

Princess Celestia stared at him in confusion. I also didn't know what he was talking about. Then Joy spoke.

"Actually, I lost that stone," Joy said in embarrassment. "I don't know where it disappeared to. That wasn't my fault..."

TD got a somewhat curious look in his eyes, as if he already knew something about this that he wasn't telling us. But he quickly put on a smile.

"It's alright," he said, "To be honest, I'm surprised you were able to keep it as long as you did. The last person I gave it to lost it a week afterwards."

Joy smiled to hear this. "That's kind of a relief."

"My sweetie~ that was just a stone," I said to him, "Why would your friend be mad at you for this?"

"It's technically more than just a stone, but I generally tend to be optimistic," TD explained. He then pulled out a script of some kind that had the title _What am I Doing?_ and started reading from it. He then put it away and said, "Wow. The time between now and the event in question is much sooner than I expected."

 **That night...**

"Okay Joy. I'm going to my own room," I said to him, blushing a little deeply.

"You know... it's hard for me to get to sleep when I'm not snuggling with you," My sweetie said to me.

"I know, but we shouldn't sleep together for a few days until our wedding. You know... to keep our excitement." I replied to him while blushing a little more.

"Right~" He replied with such a cute voice, "To keep ourselves excited..."

With this, I gave him a quick peck on lips and headed towards my personal room. I lay on my bed and took a deep sigh of excitement.

"I need to relax," I said to myself as I turned to drawer beside my bed and opened it. I looked down at my little friend inside.

"Hello Little Joy," I said as I pulled out his plushy that he prepared for me almost five years ago. "Are you sad? Aw... don't worry! Soon you and your Bubble will be together forever."

I snuggled the plushie closer to me and went to sleep.

* * *

I wish I could say that I could say that the next day I woke up on my own, but sadly that was not the case. On the contrary, we were all woken up by (who else?) TD. He had apparently been working on a new kind of party cannon similar to the one's Pinkie has. Only his ended up sounding like an air-horn when he fired it in the throne room.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why you should never ask me to fix one of these things," his voice came from the throne room with a sigh. "The things I do for my friends."

"Urgh," I said as I dug my head into my pillow "Why he can't be a little..?" I tried to calm myself. "Keep it together Bubble. Remember, this is most special time of your life."

I could relax for a little while longer if he didn't make anymore noises. After that, I'd start my day with a good morning hug to my sweetie.

"Tomorrow," I was so glad to think about one thing, "Tomorrow is my wedding day."

"I guess this is not a good time for breakfast in bed, is it?" a voice asked me. Startled somewhat, I looked around to see Serena with a tray of food near my bed. She gave me a sheepish smile.

"Diana insisted that I deliver this to you. I think Zach is delivering Joy's. Diana on the other hand is giving a breakfast in bed to her parents and Celestia too."

"No, it's fine Serena," I said to her and yawned. "Good morning, I'm just waking up now..."

I suddenly remembered something and saw that she thankfully didn't notice Joy's plushie near my pillow. I used my magic to hide that behind me.

Serena giggled. "If you feel like you need a little more sleep, I could help with that. The voice of a Siren is hypnotic by nature, so I could probably sing you to sleep if you wanted."

"Ahm... I think I'll have the breakfast," I replied, "I'd enough sleep already." Though I could use a little more sleep... "I don't sleep much usually."

"Ah, that's too bad!" Serena remarked, "With the exception of the undead, the only person I've ever known that doesn't require sleep is my dad."

I didn't think I understood what she meant, but I shrugged while giving her a sheepish smile. Then I took the tray and brought it in front of me using my magic.

"Thank you Serena," I said as I took a bite, "Would you like to join?"

"No thanks," she replied, "You need it more than I do. While I can eat solid foods, my main diet is the emotions of others. Kinda like a Changeling, except that I have to work for it in a sense."

"I see," I said, "Well, I'll be in the throne room after a while. As soon as I finish breakfast and have a bath." I giggled. "See you there."

I was just glad she didn't see that I'd a doll of Joy...

"See you there then!" Serena replied. She started out the door, but stopped long enough to say, "By the way, that's a cute plushie. I still have one back home I snuggle with at times. So, no judgement there." She then left fully.

I was completely frozen there. I never felt that surprised before.

 _How did she see him?_

I was a little confused, but just I chuckled to myself and tried to focus on my breakfast.

"She's more clever than I thought," I said to myself, still feeling a little glow on my muzzle. After having breakfast, I took a refreshing bath and went to throne room. Joy was already there.

"Bubble, you're up!" He said, "Here, see what's TD doing."

 _I know, being crazy once again,_ I said to myself.

"I'm not crazy!" TD shouted, appearing nearby with a party cannon. "And it's not much to see, unless you like confetti to the face from time to time."

As if on cue, the cannon went off again in his face, but at the same time the room was suddenly decorated rather splendidly. Unfortunately, for the wrong occasion.

"Well, the Hearts and Hooves Day setting works now," he muttered as he used his magic to clear it all away, "Now the last one to test is the Wedding setting."

"I would like to see that," I said to him.

"Then pray that it actually works this time," TD replied as he turned a dial on the cannon to a small picture of a wedding dress. He then fired the cannon and the results were quite satisfying.

"And with that, the Party Cannon 3500 is complete!" TD announced.

"Hey, quiet down there!" Tracker's voice muttered from above, "We're trying to sleep."

Looking up, I noticed Tracker hanging from the ceiling. But he wasn't alone. Screwball was with him too, hugging him tightly, but not as if she was going to fall if she let go; more like a loving embrace. It almost looked like a cocoon of some kind on the ceiling.

"Be thankful that I'm not your father Screwy," TD chuckled softly, "Otherwise, I guarantee you'd be in hot water right now."

"But they look cute like this," I said, "Don't they Joy?"

"Yes... indeed. They do look cute," He replied, somewhat confused.

"So do I," TD stated, "That's why I'm not going to do anything about them."

I just smiled and kept looking towards the cute couple. Then suddenly, something reminded me that I needed to check on a few things before the upcoming day, aka my wedding day.

"My sweetie, I think we should check on some important things," I said.

"Hmm... alright," Joy replied

So we headed towards outside the throne room. I needed to see how my wedding gown was doing. But I couldn't let my sweetie see that gown, otherwise this would not be as exciting on my wedding. So I asked my dear fiancé to check on decorations and sweets brought by the famous party planer, Pinkie Pie and her best backer Applejack. In that way, I could check out the gown without ruining the surprise for him.

"Hi, Rarity," I said to the white unicorn, "How's my wedding gown?"

"Oh, darling it's almost done," Rarity answered, "It'll simply be divine, and believe me your groom will love the changes I've made."

"Alright, let me see." I said as I looked towards the gown and caressed my hoof against it. It felt better than any fabric I had ever touched and that was not just because it was made of the most superior fabric in Canterlot, but also because it belonged to me at the most special day of my life. "It's... perfectly fine."

"Oh, it'll be better once I'm done," Rarity remarked.

I gave her a smile and said, "Thanks for your hard work, Rarity."

"It's my pleasure," She replied.

I went out of the room to see that Joy was standing with Lyra and Bonbon.

"Thanks for giving us the chance to be the bride's maids," Lyra said to him, "Last time, everything was messed up because of that evil queen and those... other things." Lyra said being a little frustrated.

"Lyra!" Bonbon said to her friend, "Pardon her your highness... she just can't stand to think what happened at the last royal wedding."

"There is no need to be formal," Joy said, "You're my friends and it's the least I can do to make up for what happened last time."

I came towards them and soon they noticed me. Lyra was the first one to notice me coming there and waved a hoof towards me.

"Greetings Princess Bubble." I was surprised as she said this.

"What?" I chuckled "I'm not a Princess, Lyra."

"But Prince Joy will soon be your husband, and then you'll be a Princess, so... that's why..." Lyra smiled. Bonbon just rolled her eyes at this.

"Did you check those important preparations you were talking about Bubs?" My soon to be groom asked me.

"I did... and I am satisfied with the results," I replied.

"Can you believe the CMCs were trying to help Pinkie in wedding decorations so they could get their cutie marks as wedding planners?" He asked me as he chuckled. "They ended up crashing under a huge banner."

The other mares were chuckling at this.

"Those three fillies are so adorable." I said, "Especially that cute pegasus filly. What was her name..? Scootaloo."

"I admit," Joy said, "She's the cutest of all."

"I personally think Applebloom is the cutest," TD's voice suddenly remarked, as he appeared out of nowhere, "But that's just my personal opinion."

"When did you- never mind," I said, shrugging lightly, "Hope you ate your fill."

"If I didn't, I could always fix that," TD stated, "I'd say that the hayburgers were delicious, except that I can't eat that stuff, so I replaced it with a cheeseburger."

"Good for you," I said, "I'm just glad that all of you are enjoying your time here."

"We sure are," TD mentioned, "And I'm pretty sure your Elements are freaking out to see my Twilight again. Quite the sight, huh?"

"Sure they are..." I said, as I saw Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow coming there. Pinkie shook hooves with TD's... hoof and-

"NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN TD!" Pinkie shouted, "WE KNEW YOU'D COME HERE. I HOPE YOU LIKE THE DECORATIONS. I'VE TO MAKE DECORATIONS EXTRA SPECIAL, CAUSE YOU KNOW-" Pinkie gestured with her hoof, "IT'S OUR FRIEND JOY'S WEDDING!"

I could guess how was he feeling that time. Pinkie always freaked me out as well. But I was proven wrong when TD simply laughed.

"Nice to see you again, Pinkie Pie," he said calmly, "The decorations were spot on. Oh, that reminds me! I've got a gift for you."

TD reached behind him and pulled out his Party Cannon 3500 from... actually, I'm not sure where it came from or how he managed to bring it period.

"For the Super Party Planning Pony," he said, rolling it over to Pinkie.

"Oh, thanks TD!" Pinkie said as she took her gift and went towards another room saying, "I can't wait to try this out!"

"Sup TD," Rainbow said, "I was sure you'd be around."

"Hey RD," TD greeted, "Glad I could make it. Hey, gotcha a little something. Actually, I got something for all six of you girls."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out some kind of goggles.

"Your alternate self back in my Equestria wanted you to have them," he explained, "It's her own Wonderbolt goggles. Best quality too."

"Real Wonderbolt glasses from myself as a Wonderbolt!" She said enthusiastically, "Actually it's pretty confusing that way... but who cares! I'm a Wonderbolt, or... will be... anyways, I still look cool in them," She said, crossing her hooves in her usual style.

"Glad you like them," TD chuckled, "And I'm sure you'll be one of, if not the greatest, Wonderbolt around."

He then looked to Fluttershy. I only then noticed that for each of the Elements he seemed to take on a different way of approaching them. With Pinkie, he had been cheerful and endured whatever she threw at him, for Rainbow he acted somewhat like talking to a "cool" pony, and Fluttershy... almost like he was talking to a small child.

"Hi Fluttershy," he said gently, "How are you today?"

"Umm... I'm fine." She replied "Ahm... how are you?" She asked while looking from behind her long mane.

"Fine, thank you," he answered her. "I've got something for you, and I hope you like it."

TD pulled out a small necklace that was in the shape of her Cutie Mark.

"Your alternate self in my Equestria helped me pick this one," he said as he held it out, "What do you think?"

"Ummm... I think it looks... good." She smiled cutely, "I like it." She hugged TD. "Thank you."

TD smiled and returned the hug, getting down on one knee to do so.

"Your welcome, Fluttershy," he said gently.

Soon Twilight was there.

"Hey guys," She said to everypony there. TD looked over at her as he released Fluttershy, took a count of three, then answered.

"Hello Twilight," he said, then while laughing, "No offense, but the fact that you look a lot like my own Twilight confuses me sometimes. I had to mentally remind myself that she's taller than you and an alicorn."

"I'm sorry I can't help with that," Twilight giggled. "It's not my fault that I look a lot like my alternate-universe counterpart."

"It's alright," TD said reassuringly, "I've been trying ways to prevent such confusion, like a spell that tells me whether or not I'm near my Twilight." He smirked. "But, I'm not sure how willing you'd be to let me cast such a spell."

"I don't think that kind of spell would be necessary," Twilight said, "As long as I don't have wings, I think you can easily differ between us."

"That's exactly what another Twilight told me when I explained it to her," TD explained, "And only a month later, she too became an alicorn. I won't tell you how she did it though, because that would spoil the surprise a little too much."

"No spoilers please," I said in a fake serious tone, "Some things are better left untold."

"I agree with Bubble," Twilight replied, "Though, we've rarely agreed upon something... besides one thing."

"Eh, understandable," TD said, "Oh, I've got something for you Twilight. I've given a gift to each of your friends that I've run into so far, and it's only fair that you recieve something. And in case you're wondering Bubble," he added, looking over at me for a second, "I've got something for you too, but as a wedding present and I'm not telling you where I hid it."

With this, TD pulled out a book of some kind and held it out to Twilight.

"It's a record I've made of all the worlds I have encountered so far, along with the creatures, magic types, and even government types found in each. I think you'll find the entry on Changelings particularly intriguing."

As I was busy figuring out where he could have hidden that present he spoke of, I heard Twilight exclaiming her joy for her present.

"A book which contains information on different worlds, creatures and their governments and culture!" Twilight exclaimed happily, hugging the book with excitement, "It's the kind of gift I've always wished for! Thank you so much, TD!"

Twilight was very happy to get that book. According to her, a book was best the gift to give somepony. Even at Joy's birthday, she used to gift him story books.

 _Does he even know my taste enough to give me a good wedding present?_ I thought. I couldn't help myself and pondered over where that present could be.

"I don't know, Narrator Bubble," TD said out of the blue while looking at a wall, "What do you like?" He then laughed.

"Don't ask," a colt's voice said behind me. I turned to see that Tracker and Screwball had finally been awakened from their previous slumber.

"Good morning," I said, as I looked towards the couple, "Hope you had a relaxing slumber."

"We... did," Screwball said, blushing a bit. Tracker didn't blush himself, which seemed somewhat strange.

"How long did you watch us?" he asked, looking a bit sheepish.

"Not for long," I replied, "But I must admit, you looked so adorable like that." Joy nodded in reassurance.

"Uh... thanks," Tracker replied. He still wasn't blushing, but I soon learned why when Screwball mentioned it to us.

"Vampires usually are incapable of blushing," she said, as if reading our thoughts.

"It's true," Tracker stated, "The only exception was when I first learned that Screwy was my soulmate. Other than that, nothing."

"I see..."

Vampires are pretty different from normal ponies. I have much to learn about them yet. Suddenly, with a flash, the Spirit of Chaos appeared.

"Did somepony miss me?" He asked, and looked towards Fluttershy. "My, that necklace looks good on you Fluttershy."

"Ah, thanks Discord," She replied.

Suddenly, a round object hit Discord and then opened up halfway. Discord then turned into a beam of light that was sucked up into the sphere as it closed behind him. The sphere moved about for a short while as a small red light beeped on it's center, then it suddenly opened up again and Discord reappeared via another beam of light.

"Shoot!" TD shouted, acknowledging that he had done the deed, "It was so close! Oh well! Wild Discords are much weaker than Wild Sombras anyways."

While we were surprised at what TD just did, Discord shook his head and spoke.

"Whatever you're trying to do, will you please stop?" Discord asked, a little annoyed. "I'm trying to talk to my friend here."

"Sorry," TD chuckled, "It was the only reference I could think of on such a short notice. Next time, I'll make sure to pull an Olaf on you."

Ignoring TD, Discord focused his attention towards Fluttershy and started talking to her. She was feeling a little nervous like always. I giggled because she kinda looks adorable like that. Just like a cute little filly.

"Bubble, I've been meaning to ask," Tracker said to me, "How old do you think me and Screwy are?"

"How old..." I thought for a while. "You both look around ten to twelve years old to me."

Tracker and Screwball both giggled.

"Understandable that you'd think that, but not even close!" Screwball stated. "I'm turning twenty-three in a month."

"And I'm over one hundred and eight years old," Tracker added.

"Well, that make sense," Joy said, "But honestly, you look much younger than you really are."

"Vampirism does that to you," Tracker stated, "Or in Screwy's case, being the daughter of the Spirit of Chaos."

"Understood. It must be good to not age like others," I said, thinking about how it would be to not age. Most mares would love to look young forever like this.

"It's a big pain if you ask me," TD stated bluntly, deciding to join in on the conversation again. "I am not immortal like they are, but I still age way too slowly outside my own world. That in and of itself... is a curse."

"When you put it that way..." My sweetie said, "It does not feel so good then."

"Tell me about it," TD said, "At least events like these party keep my mind off of such details."

"You may have a problem with immortality," Screwball said to TD, "But Tracker and I have more or less made peace with that detail."

I had to admit, some matters were more complex than they seemed.

"C'mon all of you," I said, "Let's just don't talk about negitive things and enjoy this gathering."

"With pleasure," TD answered cheerfully. He pulled out a tub of popcorn and started eating from it, much to the annoyance of Princess Twilight nearby.

"That's your FIFTH bowl!" she scolded, "How are you not dead yet?!"

"Because the Fates decree it!" TD announced dramatically. "Not really. I hate the Fates. Well... most of the time."

I shook my head and smiled at this. The life after marriage must be amazing. Well, I was soon going to find out.

"Joy, would you like to join me for a stroll in gardens?" I asked him.

"Of course my sweetheart," He replied and took my hoof in his hoof as we went towards the garden. While we were strolling in the garden, I was thinking about how excited I was for tomorrow. I wasn't saying much, only enjoying the scenery around us, letting the cool breeze flow through my mane and coat. That was a real pleasant feeling.

"Lovely feeling, isn't it?" a small voice asked. Turning to my left, I noticed Diana sitting down underneath the shade of a tree. Several squirrels and bunnies surrounded her, crowding around her as if she was an old friend. She seemed to be getting along with them quite well.

"It looks like the little critters like you Diana," Joy said, "Before you, I only saw Fluttershy doing this."

"It's how I got my Cutie Mark," Diana replied softly, so as not to disturb the critters nearby. "Even without hearing, I can understand their language and lend a helping hand to them if needed. I'm also able to communicate with some plants as well. Especially the trees. Turns out, many of them really are all bark, no bite. No pun intended."

"That is really interesting," I said, "I got my Cutie Mark after coming over my stage fright and singing fearlessly in a talent show." I chuckled as I remembered that day. "Though, that may not sound so amazing, but that was when my friendship with my swe- uh, Joy started to turn into something even more beautiful. That day still feels like yesterday," I said, as I looked towards Joy.

"Indeed," Joy sighed, "Things seemed really simple back then."

"Childhood always seems simple compared to everything else," Diana acknowledged. "But hey, at least you can be thankful that it's not like the childhood of some creatures. Did you know that Timberwolves usually are left to fend for themselves after only three months after birth?"

"I'm grateful for everything I have," Joy said, looking towards me, "I don't think fate could be any more kind to us."

"Mhmm..." I nodded, "And now that we're about to get one..." I really felt this in my heart as I said this, "...how can I not be thankful?"

Diana smiled at us for a moment, then she seemed to get somewhat upset. The critters seemed to notice this, and one even placed its paw on her shoulder as if trying to comfort her.

"What happened dear?" I asked her, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, are you alright Diana?" Joy asked.

Diana looked back up at us.

"Sometimes, I feel like I'm being left out of such a future. My brothers both have somepony special in their lives and so do most of my friends, but not me. I suppose it's because not many ponies are attracted to... well, a deaf mare like myself."

"That's just not true," Joy spoke up as he got closer to her. "You think somepony who'll truly like you will ever care about these things?" He nuzzled her mane as he sat beside her, like a brother trying to comfort his sister. "My mom told me a story about a blind filly," He said leaning, against the tree as I came closer to them. "That filly was the first one to introduce snowflakes in Equestria." He sighed. "Before her, nopony ever thought that winter could be beautiful. Her name was..."

"Snowdrop," I said, completing his line as he passed me a smile. "You're not the only one who know about Equestrian legends." I looked towards Diana. "And if you still need a reassurance, just look to me and Joy. Even though we're that much different, we still love each other more than anything."

"Thanks," she said, "I needed to hear that. And I'm glad to have friends like you to help me through tough times."

She then gave us both a big hug and a few happy tears streamed down her face. Unfortunately, our happy moment was interrupted right about then.

"You have to tell them," Princess Twilight's voice stated from a distance.

"Twi, I can't just tell them that!" TD's voice protested a second later. "It'll ruin everything!"

"I know that you want things to be happy for them, but you need to say something," Princess Twilight answered. They soon appeared a little ways away from us, and hadn't noticed us yet.

"Well, what am I supposed to tell them?" TD asked hopelessly, "I can't just walk over to them and say, 'Hey, I know this is your special day and all, but we're going to have to postpone it because something bad's about to happen that may end up killing us all.' That makes you sound like a complete jerk! I mean, come on! They've expected this day for who-knows-how long, and I don't want to be the one who breaks it to them- and, they're right behind me, aren't they?"

"Yes," Princess Twilight said sadly, as both she and TD turned towards us.

"You're hiding something from us, aren't you?" Joy asked, as I was processing what TD just said. My joy for my wedding day began to fade as a fear started to grow in my heart.

 _Please not again. Please not now. Please not at our WEDDING!_ I thought as I was trying to hold myself together.

"You said that something bad is about happen," Joy spoke again with a hint of deep anxiety in his voice.

TD looked to his wife, then sighed as he looked to the ground, not making eye contact with us yet.

"Joy... the stone wasn't lost... It was stolen."

Joy seemed shocked, but TD continued on.

"The Nazgul inside of it... he was banished to another realm, managing to escape only to tell me that our enemies... had stolen it. And with it, a tiny fraction of my power..." He looked up to our faces, and it was clear how crestfallen he was to deliver this message. "That's the real reason why we came... We thought you were in danger... we didn't want to tell you because..." He suddenly got mad and punched a tree nearby, somehow not breaking his hand in the process.

"Oh, what's the use? I've ruined everything, again! It's all my fault this has come upon you! Sure, maybe that dark figure was after you the whole time, but I'm the reason that they've taken such an interest in you... because they know that I won't just sit back and let you be destroyed!" TD fell to his knees. "I'm sorry... I've failed... again..."

Hearing this, my heart was completely sunk to my legs. My hooves became really heavy, too heavy to move even a step, and I dropped my head in sorrow and anger. Then I looked towards him.

"You HAD to be the one to ruin this day for us!?" I wanted to say more but Joy stopped me.

"So... they're coming here?" Joy asked, "When the palace is full of guests from all around the Equestria?"

That thought hit me in my heart.

 _All those ponies, those innocent colts, and fillies, our friends... they'll get hurt for nothing. Why did it have to be on my wedding day? Just why?_ I thought as I looked towards Joy. The smile which I saw a few seconds ago was gone without any trace.

 _I wish this to be a nightmare._

"You think I want this?" TD asked me. The air suddenly felt dangerous and the light dimmed around us. Diana got a scared expression and even Princess Twilight was worried.

"You really think all I want to do is ruin your life!?" TD demanded, his voice amplifying several times above normal, "I would sooner have your life full of nothing but sunshine and rainbows if it were in my power! But I can only do so much for you guys!"

"William..." Princess Twilight tried to say something to calm him down, but he continued, as thunder and lightning was heard around us.

"Sorry if I'm not perfect or all-powerful like you expected, Bubble Heart! I'M TRYING MY BEST TO SAVE YOU FROM UTTER DESTRUCTION, AND YOU JUST STOMP ON ME AS IF I INTENDED TO RUIN IT ALL! AS IF I WAS STILL THE BAD GUY!"

"WILLIAM!" Princess Twilight's voice suddenly shouted, also amplified above normal. It was almost like Celestia's Royal Canterlot Voice. TD looked to her and noticed a look in her eyes that we were all probably sharing: one of horror. The light slowly turned to normal, the thunder and lightning stopped, and tears appeared in were in his eyes.

"I never... wanted any of this..." he said helplessly, almost like a child, "I just... wanted to prove... I'm not bad..."

He started sobbing at this, as if giving up all hope. Princess Twilight gave a sympathetic look and hugged him tightly, letting him bury his face into her mane as he sobbed. Diana was still silent, but she looked as if she was a child who had witnessed a murder.

"Sorry... I'm... sorry... " I said, and sobbing with sorrow I trotted towards the palace to my room. I didn't even listen to Joy's call to stop. I didn't care if anypony saw me crying a day before my wedding.

"I... I just wanted... to be with... the one... I love... and wanted a normal life... for both of us... IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?" I yelled as I sobbed loudly.

**Joy's POV**

I tried to stop her as she was galloping towards the palace, but she completely ignored my calls. She was really upset, or more than upset. She was feeling hopeless. For some reason, I stayed there looking towards her while she went inside the palace. Looking at her situation, I wasn't sure if I could calm her down; otherwise, I'd never let her make a sad face, let alone cry tearfully. TD and Princess Twilight were still within their embrace, the alicorn still trying to comfort her husband as he let out all his sorrow and grief. Diana just stood there not making a sound, seemingly oblivious to all her surroundings. It was as if time had stood still in the gardens, as if Fate was unsure of what to do next.

"TD," I called to him, not sure what to say, "Don't be mad at Bubble just because she's a little overprotective of me."

He was still in his embrace with Twilight, oblivious to the fact that Bubble had galloped towards the palace just a minute ago. I wasn't mad at TD for yelling at her. He was also as upset as she was that time. The only thing I was mad at was... me.

 _What if I've never been sent to this world in the first place? What if my enemies would've been succeeded in killing me?_ Those thoughts were haunting my mind badly. TD didn't answer me, but continued to sob. Twilight's wings spread out around him and joined the embrace.

"Don't let me go," I heard him whisper, "Don't let me lose control again..."

"I won't," she answered him reassuringly, "I'm here for you. Just let it all out."

Diana finally seemed to snap out of her trance and looked to me with an apologetic face.

"I'm sorry about your wedding, Joy," she said to me. "I really was hoping it wouldn't be so soon."

"You're not the one who should be sorry." I replied as I got near to TD, looking at his sorrowful face while he was hugging his wife. Soon, I heard the sound of galloping from the direction of palace. I saw that Heart Sparkle and her twin nieces were running towards us. They were breathing heavily as they looked towards me.

"Joy, I saw Bubble trotting towards the palace," she said, "She was really upset. Whatever just happened to her?"

Soon, she noticed TD and Twilight hugging each other as TD continued to sob. At last, TD released Twilight and looked to Heart Sparkle apologetically.

"I'm sorry," he said, "It's my fault. I told them about... an attack that is expected to arrive... soon. She didn't take it well... None of us did."

"An attack?" Heart said suddenly in panic while her nieces looked towards each other, "What kind of attack?"

 _Should TD have told Heart about that?_ I thought.

"We should go check on her," I remarked.

"Way ahead of you," TD answered, and without waiting for a response, he rushed towards the palace with us in hot pursuit.

"I told her the ape creature was trouble," One of her nieces said.

"But she'll have to choose him over all good looking stallions," the other one said.

**End Joy's POV**

* * *

"We must attack now!" a robot complained to his four-armed master, as they stood in front of a portal gate.

"Not yet," he ordered, "Wait..."

After a few more seconds, a green light flashed above the gate and the Robot Master smiled.

"Now, we strike," he said casually. The robot beside him immediately rushed through the portal, followed by an army of others. The Robot Master looked to a robot with blue eyes.

"Send word to the ships," he ordered, "Tell them to merge on the infantry's location. Also, prepare the Dark Alternates. Tell them, their prize awaits."

The robot nodded and walked away while speaking into a walkie-talkie. The Robot Master looked towards the portal.

"I'm coming for you, William," he said darkly, "And you won't save him for long."

"Today will be the day we celebrate our victory! Today is the day when my master will get his freedom!" The dark figure announced aloud, as he joined the robot master's side...

* * *

"Bubble?" TD called, running through the palace. He wanted to apologize to her for what had happened earlier and also to negotiate something between the two of them if possible. Princess Twilight, Diana, and Joy followed after him, though it was unclear of whether they were trying to support his search or call him off. As TD searched, he happened to run into some of the remaining Elements, Rarity and Applejack. In fact, he almost ended up crashing right into Rarity, but was thankfully stopped by Princess Twilight's magic.

"Thanks Twi," he said to her, then turned to the Elements in front of him. "Girls, have you seen Bubble? I want to speak to her."

"She's in her room," Rarity said, "She seemed to be really upset over something."

"That'd be my fault, hence why I'm trying to find her," TD explained, "To apologize. Thanks by the way! Rarity, you'll find a shipment of the finest fabric at your boutique by tomorrow, and AJ you'll find a new cart and a better hayloft at your place. Hope you like them!"

And with that, TD rushed on past them, not bothering to see how they had reacted to his statements. But he didn't get far before he stopped and looked sheepishly at Joy.

"Could you lead the way, please? I don't know which room is her room."

"Indeed," Joy said, "This way..." Joy led them to her room. As they reached the door, her sobs could be heard outside the room. No doubt she was really upset. TD sighed then knocked on the door.

"Bubble... it's me," he said, "I came to apologize."

There was no reply, but the door shined with a purple aura and opened. Looking inside, they saw that Bubble was lying on her bed with trails of tears flowing from her sapphire blue eyes. In her hooves, there was a little plushie of some sort which she was holding to sooth herself. Joy went over to her.

"Bubble my sweetheart, I'm such a darned husband to be," Joy said while picking her up in a hug, "Please don't cry. I can't see you like this," he said, while tears started to flow from his own eyes. TD waited for a few seconds, then sighed.

"Bubble, I'm really sorry about... well, everything," he said, "I've ruined your plans, I've only ever been a thorn in your side... and let's be honest, I'm just as scary as I am helpful to you guys. I- I shouldn't have snapped at you back there. You were upset and I took it badly." He sighed once more before finishing. "If you'd like, once this all blows over and the crisis is diverted... I'll get out of your hair... forever."

Diana and Twilight gasped in surprise when he said this.

"But William," Twilight protested, "You said that-"

"I know what I said," he interrupted, "but it's not going to make things better for them. I- I think... it's for the best."

Diana was silent for a few more seconds, then she walked beside Joy and stood beside him.

"Then I'm staying," she said stubbornly.

"Diana, no," TD started, but she continued.

"I WILL NOT abandon my friends in their time of need!" she shouted.

Joy looked towards Diana. She was a really determined friend. Bubble was unable to hold herself anymore and she decided to let it all out. Bubble looked towards Diana, and TD while she was still holding Joy close to her.

"You think I hate you for being here?" Bubble spoke up, "You think that's the reason I don't like you being around?" There was a little seriousness in her voice. "You know, unlike you and Twilight, Joy and me grew up together. I care for him more than any other pony I ever know. You can't even fathom how much!"

"Bubble..."

"Let me speak Joy," Bubble said, giving TD another look. This look was meant to be somewhat caring rather than angry.

"TD, to be honest, I just don't like you because I'm unable to handle the fact that you were the reason for every trouble that fell upon our world and my sweetie after that fateful event. But then again... you were the one to stop them every time and save my sweetie from every trouble," Bubble said with a more caring voice, and then paused. After a brief moment, she spoke again.

"I'm sorry, I don't wanna hold a grudge on you anymore. Please don't go. You've promised to protect my sweetie and for that you must stay."

Joy didn't say anything, but was looking towards TD and Twilight. TD was stunned at what he had heard. He seemed to be trying to find something to say to argue, but he was at a lost for words. After what seemed an eternity, he finally settled with a laugh.

"I did promise that, didn't I?" he chuckled, then more seriously, "I'm sorry I never bothered to figure out why you truly hated me. I just... assumed the worst. I'm a terrible friend a lot of the times, and there are still plenty of flaws about me that I have yet to fix." He smiled. "But if you're willing to give me a chance... I'm willing to give you one too. From here on out, consider our rivalry on this matter closed." He held out a hand to her. "Friends?"

"Friends." Bubble held out her hoof towards his hand and then shook it. "No hard feelings?"

"No hard feelings," he replied with a smile. Twilight didn't say anything to him yet, but she was smiling with pride at him, as well as relief.

Just then, Diana looked up with a scared expression and her horn glowed a bit . TD looked to her.

"Dad..." she started.

"I felt it too," TD said grimly.

"Me too," Twilight added, "It felt close... Joy?"

"I know... I can feel it too," Joy replied, "They're here... with more allies I guess."

Bubble's face gave a look of discomfort but then she spoke.

"After all this chaos is over... I hope to continue our wedding. But for now. we shouldn't be anywhere near the palace."

"Agreed," TD remarked, "But if that's not an option... actually, you'll see. Let's move!"

TD rushed through the halls back towards the guests with his friends and family close behind. As he ran, TD sent a telepathic message to Zach.

 _"Zach! Get as many ponies out as you can, and get the Elements! We'll need all the help we can get!"_

 _"Understood!"_ Zach's voice replied, _"_ _Be careful! Love you dad."_

 _"Love you too, son."_

After only a few more seconds, TD rushed into the room where the guests were still enjoying the festivities. Unfortunately, he ended up crashing into Celestia in the process. This time, Twilight couldn't stop him fast enough. TD rubbed his head and noticed that his face was inches away from Celestia's eyes; in fact, he almost had impaled himself on her horn.

"Sorry Tia!" TD exclaimed as he stood up and helped her to her feet.

"It's okay," Celestia said, "Where are you rushing to anyway TD?"

"No time to explain," he said, "You need to evacuate everyone in this palace, now!"

Celestia was dumbfounded at this. After a brief momentm she chuckled and said, "Oh TD, that was a good one. It's my son's wedding... Why would I..?"

"Tia, please!" he pleaded earnestly, "You have to-"

Suddenly, an explosion occurred from a far end of the room and a large dark purple portal appeared, giving off an intimidating glow. Ponies and other guests ran screaming in fear as robots started walking out of the portal. The explosion had also caused the entire roof to get demolished, revealing the open sky above. And that sky was now filled with at least fifty warships descending down upon the city of Canterlot. Celestia was scared to see this. She looked towards TD and nodded.

"This way, ponies!" She yelled leading the way out of the palace, "This way!"

TD looked around at the sky, then at the robots pouring through the opening created.

"It's as I feared," he muttered, "They've used my power to make the jump."

He heard a noise behind him and noticed that the Elements had entered the room. Alongside them was Serena, Cold Winter, Zach, Screwball, Tracker, Diana, his Twilight, and Joy and Bubble...

"Discord, you lazy excuse of a friend, get out here!" TD shouted.

"I was here all the time!" Discord suddenly appeared in the room. "Uh oh! Looks like we've some unplanned guests here!"

"Ya think?" TD snapped, but then his attention focused back on the portal as a figure stepped out that made his heart stop. The four-armed Robot Master stepped into the room, followed by a dark figure and several others that TD had only seen as a possibility and not a reality. The others gasped at the sight, for the figures that followed them were darker versions of the Elements and Celestia. But TD only seemed to notice the four-armed robot. As they watched, they heard him speak as if in despair and hopelessness.

"No... it can't be," TD shouted aloud, looking to the four-armed robot, "It can't be! I destroyed you! You're dead! The Nameless One is dead!"

"Oh William," the 'Nameless One' tsked, "You and your brothers really should've gone for the head if you wanted that possibility. But alas! You can only do so much with your power."

Joy didn't say anything, but watching the one who tried to kill the love of his life a day before his 'wedding' made him really furious.

"I'll remember this now!" Joy shouted as he suddenly started to burn in his aura and transformed into Blazing Star. The flaming wings sprouted from his back and his irises grew in size, while the Blazing Edge sword appeared in his right hand. The Elements were amazed to see this.

"Awesome!" Rainbow whispered.

TD still seemed a bit shocked, so the Nameless One continued.

"Your days are over, my little ponies," he said threateningly. Just then, TD laughed aloud, much to the confusion of his friends and foes alike.

"Sorry," he said, "But that's not the best way to end it, considering where you are!" He then looked up at the sky, noticing that it was still day.

"You'll thank me for this later, Tia and Lulu!" he shouted, then snapped his fingers. When he did, the sky suddenly took on a strange look as did the light. It was like daytime, and yet night time as well. Tracker saw his chance and transformed into his bat form, snarling dangerously at the robots. Bubble grunted at the robots as well as her horn started to glow along with her cutie mark. Her eyes shone brightly as she spoke in a very loud voice.

"All that time, I was mad at somepony who didn't even deserve it. Now, I'll show you what a mare can do if you try to ruin her wedding!" She shouted.

TD chuckled and even Zach smiled to see this.

"Hell hath no fury that can rival an upset mare!" Screwball shouted with slight dramatics. The Nameless One just laughed.

"Fine then. We shall show what truly rivals the fury of Hell today! I hope you are prepared, because you are about to meet your Makers!"

He raised a hand, then brought it down in an obvious signal of some kind, and both robots and ships all closed in. Almost as quickly, TD signaled an attack of his own, and a desperate struggle for survival began.

"Get ready guys!" Twilight- Joy's Twilight- shouted to the elements as a smirk crept on her face. All of the Elements were prepared for battle. Joy and Bubble were standing side by side as they rushed towards the battle ground, along with the Elements. The fight started off reasonably balanced, though it possibly would've been a different case if the Nameless One and his comrade had decided to join in. Robots dropped at every blow and even the ships in the sky were quickly getting blown away, but they never seemed to get any fewer. Robots were not the only warriors who surged through the portal. Human soldiers also poured through as well, each wielding some odd weaponry. Some carried melee weapons, others ranged; all of them futuristic in appearance. After several minutes, the first casualty occurred.

Screwball had been busy with a group of warriors that had been raining death from above on her friends, when a robot officer decided to take action. Rushing over to her swiftly, he drew an electrified weapon of some kind and struck her with it, shocking her terribly. The daughter of Chaos fell to the ground almost immediately, presumably unconscious as the robot raised his weapon to finish her off. However, that blow never came. A blur of grey and black suddenly struck the robot, slicing it in half lengthwise and then pulled Screwball out of the thick of the battle. The blur then set her down before revealing himself as Tracker, who was looking at her with worry. He wasn't harmed too badly, for the enemy had not yet used anything that could kill him.

"Screwball! Stay with me, please!" he pleaded, "Don't leave me!"

Joy and Bubble were doing well against the enemies in the room. Joy was using his weapon and magic to shatter them to pieces while Bubble was shooting aura beams at them, breaking them immediately.

"Well done Bubs!" Joy cheered as he looked towards where Tracker was standing over an unconscious Screwball. He went towards them along with Bubble, keeping each other in cover as they went.

"I can help," he said to the vampire. Tracker looked to him hopefully.

"Thank you, Joy," he answered with a genuine tone of thankfulness. Joy smiled and touched Screwball on her chest, and a bright yellow aura sprouted from his hand and entered her body. She soon began to open her eyes...

Some ways away, Discord appeared in front of a small group of robots.

"This is going to be fun."

He snapped his fingers and suddenly the robots disappeared.

Somewhere far away...

The robots reappeared in an Ursa's cave, who roared at them before mauling them to scrap

Back to the fight...

The Elements were also keeping robots at their hooves. Twilight was shooting energy beams at them, Applejack was bucking them to pieces while Pinkie was being... just herself, even now. Rainbow was using her speed to headbutt the robots and destroying them, Rarity was fighting some humans with her own style, and Discord was protecting Fluttershy. A scream filled the entire room as Serena caused a kind of sound-wave to exit her mouth and knocked a majority of the enemy down to their knees. Unfortunately, another robot officer saw this and fired his own taser-like device at her, shocking her and causing her to lose her concentration. She fell to the ground as some of the enemy started to crowd her. But before they could get near to her, a loud neigh interrupted their fun, and then suddenly Cold Winter rushed through the ranks of the enemies before her, freezing them solid, then shattering them with a few well-aimed kicks. Winter turned to Serena with worry.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"You- you saved me," Serena was stunned by his actions.

"Well of course I did!" Winter answered, a bit confused, "You're my friend, and friends look out for each other. What kind of friend would I be if I left you to-?"

He suddenly stopped when Serena gave him a kiss on the cheek, then giggled.

"That was pretty heroic," she said, "And for the record, if you have crush on me, next time don't keep it hidden!"

She laughed joyously as she rushed back into the fight, while Winter sat there dumbfounded at what she had done.

Meanwhile, Joy was fighting with some robots along with Bubble. Bubble never felt as energetic as she was feeling now. She was shooting the robots almost with a passion as her Cutie Mark shined brightly. Suddenly, a thought came to her mind while she was fighting bravely.

 _It's pretty strange. Anytime I think of saving him from danger or being near him, my Cutie Mark shines. What I remember is that Cutie Marks shine whenever one did something according to his or her destiny. So can that mean- oh, how have I never realized that before..? Bubble you're such a stupid mare!_

She chuckled, but for that one second her concentration was gone and she was almost hit by a energy beam. Thankfully, Joy saved her by pulling her out of the path of attack.

"Are you alright?" He asked.

"Never... never... have I felt... any better." Saying this, she gave him a quick kiss. "I mean it."

They both smiled at each other as Joy created a magical shock wave that threw every robot approaching them several feet away.

Meanwhile, over across one end of the room, the Dark Elements were engaging their doubles in a deadly fight to the death. Well, almost all of them. Fluttershy was trembling before her darker self, who grinned wickedly.

"Guess you're weaker than I thought," Dark Fluttershy scoffed, "I'll enjoy taking your miserable life from this world."

She started to get closer to her, but then suddenly a flash of light appeared and Discord stood near Fluttershy, crouched low and growling menacingly.

"Don't even THINK about harming her!" Discord warned. Dark Fluttershy snarled and tried to rush past Discord, but the draconequus knocked her aside with his lion's paw, then summoned a sphere of golden energy in both claw and paw. Dark Fluttershy realized her mistake and tried to run, but she was too late. The energy struck her and she disappeared like dust scattered in the wind. Fluttershy looked to Discord in amazement.

"Y-you saved me," she said in disbelief.

"Well of course I did!" Discord replied, "You're my friend, Fluttershy. I couldn't just leave you to-"

Discord was silenced by a big hug from Fluttershy, stunning him greatly.

"Thank you, Discord," she said softly. Discord hesitated for a moment, then returned the hug for a few seconds. He looked around at the battle around them, then back to Fluttershy.

"Stay close to me, okay?" he said to her, "I'll protect you."

"Okay..." she nodded, hugging one of his legs tightly. Discord smiled at this, then turned his attention back to the enemies swarming in.

Over on another side of the room, Twilight was engaging her darker self in a game of spell casting. She was managing to hold her own, but she was clearly hard pressed.

"Give up already!" Dark Twilight roared, blasting at Twilight with a blast of dark magic. Twilight absorbed the blast for a second, her eyes turning poison-green and smoke appearing around her eyes. She then fired the dark blast back at her evil self. Dark Twilight blocked the spell just in time, surprised that her opposite was capable of doing such a feat. Twilight just smirked and fired another blast at her counterpart. Dark Twilight tried to counter it, but it hit her horn and she suddenly found herself unable to cast spells.

"What the- how did you-?"

"A simply stunning spell fired at the horn," Twilight answered, "A little _tip_ given to me by a good friend."

She then fired another blast and Dark Twilight disintegrated and scattered into dark particles. Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was in a hoove fight (I can't say fist fight) with her own dark counterpart.

"You can't win!" Dark Rainbow shouted as she threw a punch at Rainbow, "I am more powerful than you'll ever be!"

"Ha! You wish!" Rainbow retorted as she blocked the punch, "Nopony's better than I am at this!"

"I beg to differ!" Dark Rainbow answered, "You want to be a Wonderbolt, but they're a joke! i should know, because I killed them all back in my world!"

"WHAT?!" Rainbow was shocked and angry too, "You didn't!"

"Sure did," Dark Rainbow smirked, "And it was so satisfying to see them screaming in fear before I ended their miserable lives."

Enraged, Rainbow flew at an impossible speed behind her counterpart and bucked her as hard as she could with her back legs before she could recover. The blow was evidently enough to kill her, because she too disappeared in a cloud of dark particles.

"Nopony kills the Wonderbolts in ANY world and lives to tell about it!" Rainbow shouted, "Alternate Wonderbolts, I have avenged you!"

Just then, a large blast of fire shot past her as Daybreaker, the Dark Celestia, engaged Princess Twilight in a magic duel of their own. The two seemed neck in neck for a while, but eventually, it was Princess Twilight who proved to be the stronger. Her magic clashed with Daybreaker's, and the evil Princess screeched.

"You cannot destroy me!" she shouted, "I'm everything you've ever looked up to!"

"No, you are not!" Princess Twilight shouted, increasing the intensity of her magic, "You are not the mentor I looked up to in my world nor in this world! And you will never harm my friends or family ever again!"

With a final blast, Princess Twilight's magic connected with Daybreaker, and with a defiant scream Daybreaker was destroyed. Princess Twilight sighed in relief, then she rushed over to help out some more of her friends. As she did, she passed her own daughter, who was fighting Dark Rarity and Dark Applejack. Despite not liking to indulge in combat too much, Diana was holing her own quite well.

"I can't hit her!" Dark Applejack complained as she threw a hoof at Diana, only to have it phase through the mare's body like air.

"Idiot!" Dark Rarity shouted and fired a magic blast at Diana. However, Diana simply fired her own blast, and when it connected with Dark Rarity's blast, it turned the dark pony's magic into a stream of bubbles.

"What in Equestria?!" Dark Rarity was taken aback.

"Well, we're screwed tighter than a bolt on a wagon frame," Dark Applejack muttered.

"Mhm!" Diana agreed, before blasting them into oblivion. Some ways away from her, Pinkie Pie was having the time of her life against her opposite.

"Stand still so I can kill you!" Dark Pinkie shouted.

"Okay!" Pinkie Pie said cheerfully, then sat down and looked at her counterpart expectantly. Dark Pinkie grinned wickedly and charged forward... only to stop when the barrel of a large cannon stared her in the face. Her evil grin diappeared.

"Wh-what's that?" Dark Pinkie asked fearfully.

"Glad you asked," Pinkie Pie smirked, "Say hello to the Party Cannon 3500! How about we test it's Nightmare Night setting?"

Pinkie Pie switched the dial on the cannon to a Jack-o-lantern, and fired a swarm of pumpkins and garlic powder into the face of her counterpart. Apparently, one of the other was very effective, because Dark Pinkie quickly was destroyed like her dark friends. Pinkie Pie looked to the cannon and grinned joyfully.

"I love this thing!" she shouted, rushing back into the fight firing off random settings from the cannon. "BEST. GIFT. EVER!"

However, despite what victories were won across the battlefield, it was soon apparent that they and their friends were dangerously close to being overwhelmed. TD gasped heavily as red lightning started to creep up his arms, signaling how close he was to overextending his limits.

"It's not working!" he shouted, "We're starting to lose ground!"

Princess Twilight looked to him desperately and they seemed to have a short, inaudible conversation with each other. Then aloud:

"No! I promised I would never use that spell, Twi!"

"You have to! It'll give us a fighting chance and your power will be restored too!"

Suddenly, a beam of energy struck her and she flew several feet into a concrete pillar, shattering it upon impact.

"TWILIGHT!" TD shouted, his voice splitting into three voices at once.

Joy looked to what happened to Princess Twilight and was too surprised to say anything. Same with Bubble.

"No, Princess Twilight!" the Elements gasped as they saw this. All of them were surrounded by enemies they were fighting off, so there was no way for them to come to the rescue.

"You're so dead," Joy grunted he looked to the Nameless One. "So dead."

The Nameless One looked to TD, then a gasp of fear was heard from him. Everyone looked to see TD in a form that he had taken on when he had promised to protect this world: half light, half darkness

"Consequences be darned!" TD shouted as he raised his hands. The light dimmed and red lightning flashed in the sky above. Zach looked to TD, then he placed a hoof to his head, and everyone heard his telepathic message.

 _"Everypony, get down!"_

They all obliged as TD chanted the spell Twilight had suggested to him:

 _Ravage the land as never before!_  
 _Total destruction from mountain to shore!_

With that said, the entire area suddenly erupted into chaos. Fiery fissures opened up in the ground, lightning struck the enemies rapidly and at random, buildings crumbled; in other words, it was as if the apocalypse had begun. Joy held Bubble in his arms tightly.

"Bubble, hold on tight!"

"I am my sweetie! I don't wanna see him in this form!"

"Hold on girls!" Twilight yelled, holding the girls in her energy bubble.

"YIKES!" Discord yelled, "That guy is a real danger!"

Soon Joy noticed that palace was falling apart. It was a good thing that his mother and aunt took everypony to a safer place already. But still Joy was unable to see this.

"TD, I think that's enough! Please stop, you're destroying the whole palace!" He yelled, "This is still my home you know."

TD finally relented, and the chaos cleared in a flash of light, revealing that the enemy had been utterly destroyed. He looked to the Nameless One, who was taken aback at what had happened .The dark figure's own reaction was unknown currently.

"Anyone else?!" TD challenged, "Who wants to go next?!"

Everyone was surprised to see what had just happened. Bubble opened her eyes to see that every enemy around them has disappeared. Bubble was somewhat happy to see this. Then she looked towards TD who was still in his Guardian form.

"He looks much better in his real form," she said, closing her eyes again. That was really scary for her. TD continued to stare down his opponents, who were still silent. At last, the Nameless One spoke.

"You insolent brat!" he shouted, "I'll tear you and everything you love to pieces, then disintegrate what's left and scatter it to the winds!"

"Well then, it's good thing I have backup," TD retaliated, gesturing to all his friends behind him. The Nameless laughed.

"You think that you could take me on even with their help? I have defeated you and your brothers before, and you are only one man."

"I am one..." TD lifted his hands and several ghostly figures, all of them ponies, appeared around him. Joy actually recognized some from stories, and he realized that TD had just summoned an army of the dead to fight for him. TD finished, "...but we are many."

"Snowdrop!" Bubble said as she looked at the blind mare's ghost, "I never thought I'll see her in real life."

"They're... my mother's parents," Joy said, as he looked towards the ghosts of Cosmos and Galaxia. Tears came to his eyes as he realized he was watching his grandparents.

"Grandma, Grandpa."

There were also several others. Among them, Princess Amore of Crystal Empire, and her ancestor Queen Crystal Amore was also there. All of them were there to fight at their side. The Nameless One looked at the ghost army, then the portal behind him. He started to run for it, but it suddenly closed behind him. TD smirked, indicating that he had closed it.

"If you're so high and mighty, and so desperate to kill me," TD remarked, "Then why leave? Are you afraid that your friend here can't help you either?"

"Such a coward," Bubble said, "What can be expected from one who made a mare his hostage to confirm his win? Coward all the way." She chuckled. The Nameless One snarled at her.

"I'll show you who's the coward once my brot-"

He stopped himself, realizing what he had said, but this only made TD smirk in interest, as he had caught on.

"Brother?" he smiled. "No wonder you're holding back. I must say, you pulled a good act. But now, this is goodbye." He looked to the ghosts behind him. "What do you say, friends?"

"Gladly," Joy said, smirking at the robot, "You'll regret for what you tried to do last time."

The ghosts nodded at once as they started to approach the false Nameless One to finish him once and for all.

"No! No! Please!" the cowardly robot screeched, but to no avail as the ghosts approached him. TD then looked to the dark figure.

"This is not your day, is it?" he asked. "What are you going to do now?"

"You think you've won?" Dark figure said, "You're not even close!" It chuckle.d "That foolish boy will suffer the consequences of his acts like all of his people did, and my plan to free my master will succeed," He said, looking towards Joy.

"Not while I'm around," TD snarled. "You have three seconds to leave before I send you on a one-way trip to a place of no return. One... two..."

In a flash of dark lightning, it disappeared, chuckling aloud. Then a voice was heard.

"You may celebrate for now, 'Joy Star.'"

 _You'll suffer the consequences of your acts like "all of your people" did..._ Joy thought about what the figure said.

"All of your people," Joy whispered silently.

 _My people. What was he talking about?_

TD looked up at the sky and then heaved another sigh. With a snap, the entire palace and the surrounding area was repaired, and good as new.

"Well, this was fun!" TD said joyfully, "Now where's the tin can?"

The response was for one of the ghosts to kick a dismembered robotic head over to TD and he lifted it in his hands. His hands glowing, he crushed it into dust, then scattered it about.

"And with that, the false leader is gone," TD said casually.

"Finally!" Bubble said in relief, "Now, can you do us one more favor?"

"Fire away!" TD said to her, "But make it reasonable please. I don't my poor heart can't took this anymoor."

The last sentence, he purposely messed up his words.

"Ah, okay!" Bubble said, "Can you gather all the guests back to the palace so the wedding can carry on as it was? Pleeease..?"

Joy raised an eye at this. Then he chuckled and turned back to normal.

"That's better now," He giggled.

"That sounds reasonable enough William," Princess Twilight stated.

"Well..." TD started.

"Pleeeeeaaaasssseee?" Screwball tried as well, giving off an impossibly cute pleading expression with her swirly eyes. "With a large bowl of popcorn?"

TD was silent, then chuckled.

"I should know better than to try and resist you guys," he said, then snapped his fingers. In a flash, all of the guests appeared before them, save for Celestia who was brought in on a magic carpet. Joy ran towards his mother, who was really happy to see him and everypony else safe and sound. Soon, she saw two figures she never thought that she'd ever see again.

"Han!" She was surprised.

She released Joy from hug and went near to the figures along with her sister Luna.

"Mother," she said as she looked towards Galaxia. "Father," She said as she looked towards Cosmos. "How are you... how are you... here?"

A faint smile with some tears from her eyes came upon her face.

"That can't be," Luna said, "I thought I'd never see you again."

That was really painful for Joy to see, because they were only there for some brief moments.

**Bubble's POV**

I heard Luna and Celestia's surprised remarks of seeing their parents again, and frankly I didn't blame them. It was a lot to take in.

TD shrugged. "I called backup, and I got this. I can't keep them like this for long... not without causing harm. Say your goodbyes and whatnot, because soon I must allow them to find peace in death once more."

"It was good to see you, my dear daughters," Galaxia said, caressing her hooves against the cheeks of her daughters. "Can you tell me, who's this creature?"

I saw that she was asking about Joy

"Mother, meet your grandson. Joy Star," Princess Celestia replied, "Hard to explain, I know."

"I can wait." Galaxia said, as she took her husband's hoof in her hoof. "Sadly, we must leave now."

"G... goodbye... mother," Celestia said, "Goodbye father."

"Goodbye," Luna said, "I'm gonna miss you."

"You made us proud, my dear daughters," Her father said and they began to fade away. In fact all of the ghosts began to disappear.

"Farewell, Legends of Equestria," TD called to them as they faded, "You have served Equestria well both in life and death. Find peace in death."

Soon, all of the ghosts had completely disappeared and everyone around us was in awe.

"That was cool," Tracker muttered aloud.

"I agree," Screwball added, "Seeing them in person... I can't even think of the words to say."

"Farewell grandmother and grandfather," Joy said, "It was nice meeting you."

 **-Time skip-**

**Onlookers POV**

The wedding celebration were amazing whether it was playing board games along with friends or doing silly dance with Pinkie Pie. No doubt, the apple sweets made by Applejack were really delicious. Luckily, Bubble's wedding gown survived all the havoc somehow and Bubble was so glad for this. Lyra and Bonbon still got to be the bride's maids of Bubble, for which Lyra unbelievably happy.

At last came the moment for which everpony was waiting for. Joy was standing on the stage in front of his mother. For the first time, he was wearing formals. Alongside him there was standing his best mare, Derpy, along with her daughter Dinky with a tray that had two rings in it. Then suddenly, wedding bells rang and the wedding melody was started, and in the rain of pink roses was came the mare of Joy's dreams, dressed in all white. She wasn't looking any less than an angel this time. At last, she came up onto the stage and stood in front of his groom.

"This always makes me emotional, no matter which part I play," TD whispered to Princess Twilight, as a few tears appeared in his eyes. He was in the crowd with the rest of his friends. Mimi had finally showed up, for it turned out that she had ran with the rest of the guests when the fighting began.

"It's a lovely moment, isn't it?" she asked him.

"It sure is," TD chuckled softly, "I still remember that time when we were the ones up on the stage." He sighed. "Pinkie Pie would've loved attending this."

"Fillies and gentlecolts," Princess Celestia announced, "Today we're gathered here to see the wedding ceremony of my son Joy Star, and her beloved foal-hood best friend Bubble Heart. We should learn something from them; they both are so different, still they want to be together," Celestia said proudly, "They still love each other, even after going through all those hardships. It's an example that if we can put our differences aside, we can make this world a more peaceful and lovable place for all of us."

All the ponies gave a smile and nods of agreement to each other.

"... and now, I pronounce you husband and wife."

**Bubble's POV**

I was about explode with happiness as I heard those words. I was more glad than I ever had been. My cheeks started to glow with blush as I gave Joy a sheepish look. My sweetie then bent down on his knees and slipped the ring in my horn. Then it was my turn. I held his hand with my aura and slipped the ring into his ring finger.

"You may now kiss the bride," Princess Celestia said.

I was looking towards him as he came closer and lift my wedding veil. Then there was the most pleasant moment I ever waited in my life. The kiss which sealed our bond. He pressed his lips against mine and that was just... out of this world kind of feeling. Soon he broke the kiss and cheers arise from all around. There were tears in my eyes. At last we were bonded for life now.

"Yeah! Way to go, Joy!" Zach and Diana cheered.

"Finally," Screwball giggled, "I thought they'd never get to this point."

"Same," Tracker replied, hugging her closely to him. After a few moments, TD raised a hand to ask for silence. Once he got his wish, he spoke.

"To celebrate this momentous occasion," he said, "I have something I cooked up specially for the newly weds. Please follow me, I don't want to blow the ceiling apart."

My sweetie looked towards his mother who rolled her eyes.

"Just go on, my brave son."

He smiled sheepishly as he held my hoof in his and gestured to me. "Shall we?" I nodded and we happily followed him towards where he wanted us to. I wanted to see what he was planning for us. After we were all outside, TD started chanting in a sing song fashion.

"A little ray of sunshine, a little bit of soul, and just a touch of magic..."

A sphere of magic appeared in his hands and he threw it into the sky. It flew upwards and onwards, disappearing from view, then suddenly the air was filled with a magnificent fireworks display, all of which were perfect for the occasion. Those fireworks were really the most beautiful fireworks I'd ever seen. Not long after, Rainbow Dash performed a Sonic Rainboom, which was cherry on the top.

"It looks even more beautiful now," I said

"It sure does," My groom replied.

Then a traditional slow dance was started with slow traditional music. I stood up on my hind legs and took hold of one of his front hooves in mine while I placed my other hoof on his back and he did the same. We held each other closer while moving along the music. After a moment, I heard a microphone being tested for its sound, and we all turned to see Serena holding a mic in front of her.

"I'd like to say congratulations to Joy Star and Bubble for the new life they are beginning together," she started. Everypony cheered and gave their own compliments, then she continued, "For this momentous occasion, I have a slow-dance song I'd like to sing for the newly weds. Please enjoy."

Slow music started to play and Serena began to sing, her voice sometimes sounding like multiple voices at once, but all of them beautiful:

[Lyrics for Most Chaotically]

 _Not sure when it started  
Not sure how it began  
_ _Not sure why I'm longing  
To feel you in my hooves again._

 _Don't know why I'm speechless  
When I look into your eye  
Or why my chest is beating  
And I feel I can fly_

 _I feel a connection  
_ _To which we harmonize  
_ _A bond that can't be broken  
_ _Though some may criticize  
_ _They say I've gone mad,  
_ _Descended periodically,  
_ _Because I fell for you  
_ _Most chaotically_

 _Opposites attract  
_ _But we couldn't be more the same  
_ _They say you're a monster  
_ _But I know you can be tamed._

 _I feel a connection  
To which we harmonize  
A bond that can't be broken  
Though may criticize  
They say I've gone mad,  
Descended periodically,  
Because I fell for you  
Most chaotically_

 _It's like I'm falling faster  
With every moment we spend  
We'll dance tonight and after  
We'll promise to be more than just friends_

 _We have a connection  
Let's face it, we harmonize  
Our bond cannot be broken  
Who cares if they criticize?  
It's true I've gone mad,  
Descended periodically,  
Because I fell for you  
Most chaotically._

 _Because I fell for you  
_ _Most chaotically._

We danced slowly along to the song. We were face to face to each other as the song ended. We looked into each other eyes and in a moment I kissed him once again. That song really refreshed some of really beautiful memories of how our love was started. I felt really thankful to Fate that it happened, and now the love of my life was in my hooves.

 _I'll never let you go._

I broke the kiss as I saw his cheeks glowing with blush once again.

"I love you, my odd looking Prince," I said and giggled.

"I love you too, my lovely Bubble," He replied.

TD and Princess Twilight looked to each other with a knowing smile. Perhaps they had a similar situation in their younger years as well. As they watched, a portal opened up some ways away and TD looked disappointed.

"Ah... darn it!" he muttered, then louder, "Sparkle family and Siren, our ride's here. Say your goodbyes while you still can!"

Diana and Zach trotted over to us at this, giving us big smiles.

"Well, goodbye you two," Zach said, "I hope you have a wonderful life together."

"Mhm!" Diana agreed.

Mimi came over to us as well, taking on the form of a young pegasus mare.

"I know we weren't exactly friends when we last met," she said, "but I'm going to miss you guys. Take care."

"Don't worry Mimi." I replied, "You're not what you were in the past and I'm... too tired to hold grudge now. I'm going to miss you too."

"We'll try to keep in touch," Diana said to me, her eyes showing off her miniature butterflies.

"Goodbye Daina." I said as I hugged her, "I hope you'll meet your special somepony soon."

"Trust in yourself and you'll find your special somepony sooner than you realize."

Diana smiled brightly at this and gave me a look that said "Thank you."

"Goodbye TD," My groom said to TD, "And thanks once again."

"Well, good luck you two," Screwball spoke up.

"Goodbye you two little lovebirds," I said to them, "Take care."

"You too," Tracker replied to us. Then it was the final group.

"Goodbye Princess Twilight," I said to her, "Goodbye Zach."

"Goodbye, old friend," Zach answered.

"We wish only the best for you," Princess Twilight added.

The others said farewell as to them well. TD turned around and was about to leave with his family, when suddenly he stopped and looked towards me.

"Quick question," he asked, "Why did you pick Derpy to be best mare? Nothing wrong with that, but call me curious."

"Well, the reason for this is because she's the first filly to be my friend when I came outside the palace for the first time and she's my best friend in Ponyville. So I couldn't think of anypony else than her to be my best mare," My groom replied.

"Makes sense," TD said with a nod. He then looked to Joy more fully.

"Farewell, my friend. I'll be checking on you again sooner than you think, but longer than you may wish. Until we meet again, try to stay out of trouble. Oh, and one more thing. If you ever wish to talk to me again, just write me a letter in the same say your friends do to Celestia. Trust me, it'll work better than you think. However..." He looked to Celestia, "Tia, if you or Lulu happen to receive the letter instead of me, just burn it on a candle, then use a teleportation spell on the ashes. Trust me, it'll work."

"If you say so William," My now mother-in-law replied, "I'll keep that in mind."

TD chuckled, then looked to me and Joy.

"Have fun you two! TTFN! Ta ta for now!"

TD jumped backwards into the portal, giving a joyous laugh as he disappeared. The portal closed slowly, giving us a quick glance at their Equestria. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of a tree-like castle and a giant hive of some kind in the distance, then the portal closed for good.

 _They lived in a castle, last I understood. So the hive must belong to..._

Suddenly, I heard the bells of our chariot. There were two pegasus royal guards pulling this decorated chariot. I looked towards my husband and gave him a sheepish look. He glanced back at me as the door was magically opened by a maid. Joy looked towards his mother and aunt before finally stepping towards the chariot along with me. I threw the bouquet behind me as I stepped inside. I didn't sae who was the one to get that.

We both stepped into the chariot as it flew towards a home my mother-in-law specially built for our honeymoon. That was on the bank of a lake. My favorite place for many reasons. My sweetie took me in his arms and stepped out of the chariot. With me in his arms my sweetie went inside the house and closed the door behind.

***end of POV***

The new era for both of them had been started. None of them knew what the future held for them, but they didn't care as long as they're in each other's hooves and arms.

* * *

In the realm far from Equestria, the dark figure was chuckling loudly.

"Celebrate your finale days!" It chuckled, "Now there's not much time before my plans succeed."

"They will pay..." a voice said behind him, belonging to the Nameless One, the true Nameless One. "They killed my brother, so I shall take their own family away!"

"Now with our extra allies," The Dark Figure said looking towards a dark corner where seven pairs of eyes could be seen, "Soon we'll be celebrating our win."

The Nameless One smiled.

"My brother was but a pushover, William," he said aloud, mostly to himself, "But I am the real deal. And you will pay for crossing me..."

* * *

 **Yes! I love this side-series! It's probably one of my favorite works so far!**

 **Song used: "Most Chaotically," an original song by _DisneyFanatic2364_ and _truesailorcomet_.**

 **Hope y'all enjoyed! I'll cya next time!**


	6. Chapter 6

**And we're back with another one! Wow, I just realized how quickly we're making these things. Yikes! Good job, everypony!**

 **Hope y'all enjoy!**

* * *

A bright flash of light appeared in an unknown part of the Everfree forest. When everything became clear, two different figures could be seen on the ground, one lying on top the other. The first figure was a human, wounded around his arms, chest, and legs. The other was a unicorn pony with a pink coat and purple mane. She was lying on top of the human, who was holding the unicorn is his arms. The unicorn was wounded as well, but not as much as the poor human. They were Joy Star and Bubble Heart, two figures from another universe.

"Are you... okay my sweetheart?" He asked to the unicorn as she opened her eyes.

"I..." She paused before continuing, "Horse feathers! What happened there?!" She exclaimed in shock, as she noticed Joy's condition. Even in such a wounded state, he was worried about his wife.

"Don't worry! We'll find some..." He was unable to finish before he passed out.

"Joy..." Bubble said nuzzling him, "Please wake up!"

She looked around and saw that this place was really unfamiliar to her. Trees stood all around and the sounds of different animals could be heard. But there was only one thing she was most worried about: her husband. She was desperate to do something, but her wounds were too sore for her to move much. Still, she decided to get up and do something to patch his wounds

***Bubble's POV***

I got up and tore the clean pieces of his clothes.

 _At least I can stop blood from flowing out of his wounds._ I thought and tied up the pieces of clothes around his more sore and flowing wounds. This would help until he came around.

"You'll be fine my love. I will not let something happen to you."

Just then, I heard the sound of hooves clopping on the ground, and shortly after a pegasus mare appeared out of the shrubbery around me. She was bluish-green with a light blue mane and tail. Her mane was well groomed and kept straight, her eyes were a parrot-green color and her Cutie Mark showed three musical notes with three waves passing through them. She held a basket in her mouth and a crow of some kind was perched on her back. As soon as she saw us, she gasped in surprise, causing the basket to fall to the ground and dump its contents: several herbs of some kind. My prayers were answered. I was so glad to see that somepony was here who could help us. I came towards her as she stared at us.

"It's good to see somepony! Can you please help us?" I asked her.

She didn't answer verbally, but simply nodded and quickly picked up her herbs, the crow jumping off her back to help. She then rushed over to Joy and checked his wounds. Taking one of her herbs, she pressed it against one of his wounds, causing him to wince a little, implying that he was still alive for the time being. She then looked to me and her eyes seemed to show every ounce of urgency she felt.

 _"We have to get him to safety!"_ her eyes seemed to say, at the same time she attempted to lift him, gesturing to me to help her. I helped her to pick him up using my magic and placed him on her back. I could only do a little to help her as my own wounds were not allowing me to do much. I followed her to a hut in the distance while that crow was coming behind us. Maybe that was her pet. She knocked on the door, and soon a Zebra mare came out of the hut. I knew that Zebra mare. Her name was Zecora.

"Who is it that knocks without saying a word?" Zecora asked, "Why, it's my dear friend Humming Bird. But why the look of urgency? Something's wrong, I can see."

The pegasus mare gestured towards Joy, who was on her back, and Zecora too looked concerned.

"His wounds don't look so good, patch them up quickly we should," She rhymed and stepped aside as the pegasus mare went inside with Joy. Just then, she noticed me there as well.

"My friend, you're in need of some help too. Come inside and let me patch up your wounds too."

There was no time for asking for explanations, so I went inside as well. Inside, Humming Bird laid Joy down on a bed of leaves and then looked to Zecora with worry. Zecora sighed as she patched up some of my own wounds with a kind of weird gunk held to the cuts by bandages. It felt odd, but seemed to help.

"His wounds are beyond my skill to aid, but there is one who can fix your foe's charades."

"What do you mean Zecora?" I asked, "Can't you help with healing his wounds?"

"It is not the wounds that concern me, but the dark powers that were placed inside him," she said, for once not speaking in rhymes. "The most we can do now is prolong your husband's death until proper help arrives."

I was lost for words as she said this.

"You... you said... his..." I was too shocked to process what I wanted to say. "I..." I was almost sobbing as I caress my hoof over his cheek. "J-Joy... please don't..."

Just then, I heard a whimper from outside, followed by a large panting. It sounded like a large puppy, and it was vaguely familiar... I was sure that I knew who that was and I felt a little spark of hope at this. Zecora opened her door, revealing a large Timberwolf at the door. However, she didn't freak out when she saw who it was.

"Plank, Timberwolf friend of mine," the Zebra said, "You have arrived in the nick of time! A dear friend of yours is in need of aid. Come, see what devilry has been made."

Plank walked inside, and when he saw me, he gave a short and happy bark.

"It's nice..." I wiped my tears "... to see you Plank," I said to the friendly Timber wolf.

Plank seemed to almost smile, then looked to Joy as his "smile" faded. A whimper was heard from the Timberwolf and he licked Joy's hand to get a response. The only result, was a slight flinch from Joy. Plank whined some more and looked to me.

 _"What happened to him?"_

It was as if he had said it aloud, though he was incapable of speech.

"That thing attacked on Canterlot... once again along with... some evil forces that I'm sure belonged to Equestria but... maybe not ours." I was crying as I told him about this. Soon I realized that I was talking to a Timber wolf. "Do you even understand me?"

Plank nodded and gave me a short lick to the face, indicating that he did indeed understand me. Then he looked to Zecora who looked to him urgently.

"Find your masters and bring them here to me!" she ordered, "Hurry Plank! Joy's life ebbs swiftly!"

Plank barked and rushed out the door, howling as he went. Even if I didn't know enough about Timberwolves to differ between their howls, I knew that it was a call for help that he was giving off. As his howls faded in the distance, Zecora looked to me.

"Bubble Heart, do you know of any leaves that look like these?" she asked, and held up a small pile of leaves in her hoof.

"I think I know..." I looked at the leaves carefully, "Yes, I know about a plant with these leaves," I said as I gave her a questioning look.

"It is what we need to prolong your husband's life," she explained, "Look among my herbs and you'll find a few for us to use. Bring them here."

She then walked over to her cauldron and started to brew something up. Humming Bird meanwhile continued to monitor my sweetie's condition. I went towards the place where she had some herbs collected in some kind of small sack bag. I looked for the herb Zecora told me about and soon I found it. I was never so glad to see a weed's leaves in my whole life. I picked them and brought them back to Zecora.

"Here!" I said, "I found these."

She took them from me and wadded them into a ball of some kind, then pressed it against one of Joy's cuts. Almost immediately, he gasped but still did not wake. We were interrupted not long after by the sound of the door opening. Turning, I saw that Plank had returned, along with Zach, Diana, and a red Changeling with orange eyes and yellow wings. I may not have seen him in that form before, but I knew who it was immediately: TD.

"Where is he?" Diana asked, to which Zecora and Humming Bird moved aside to show them Joy's condition. I looked towards my sweetie and then towards them, as I couldn't help but sob again.

"It's... good to see you... William."

TD gave me a short nod and a look that told me he was glad to see me too, then walked over to Joy. He paused for a second when he looked to Humming Bird, then quickly looked back to Joy.

"How's he looking, Zach?" he asked. Zach closed his eyes and his wings glowed, then he opened his eyes and looked to TD.

"He's almost gone. Whatever attacked him, it used a terrible form of witchcraft."

TD nodded, then started giving orders as he changed into his human form.

"Diana, keep him restrained in case he wakes up. Zach, I need you to cast the healing spell. I'll dispel the darkness within him." He looked back to me with an expression that said he was not going to enjoy this next part. "I hope you and Joy will forgive me for this next part, because this is really gonna hurt... a lot."

"If this is what it takes to save my sweetie's life..." I said to him, "Then..." I sobbed. "Then... do it."

TD nodded. "I'll try to make it quick."

He turned back to Joy and raised his hands, chanting in an ancient tongue of some kind. As he did, Zach's wings glowed once again and Diana's horn glowed, encasing Joy in an aura of magic. TD continued to chant, sometimes sounding very dark and terrible, but other times sounding more desperate. Suddenly, Joy twitched violently and a cry escaped his lips.

"Keep him restrained, Diana!" Zach shouted. Diana said nothing, but simply caused her horn to glow brighter. Joy continued to twitch, as if struggling to break free from an invisible grip. I tried to hold my cries as I saw him shrieking and twitching in pain. I was hopeful that it was all gonna end soon for good.

"I wish... I could help to lessen... your pain my sweetie," I said desperately.

Eventually, TD seemed to be reaching the end of his chant. One of his hands glowed white and he placed it against Joy's head, grimacing as if taking on a foreign form of power. Joy suddenly stopped trying to break free and a peaceful expression came over him. TD leaned closer to him and whispered, "Sleep now, Prince Joy Star. Forsake the shadow and find rest while you can."

Zach finally opened his eyes and his wings stopped glowing. I could now see that all of my sweetie's wounds were healed and he seemed to be in a delightful slumber. I smiled with joy as I trotted towards my sweetie. I leaned myself towards him as I wrapped my hooves around his neck and kissed on his cheeks and forehead.

"Oh thanks goodness," I said delightfully, "You're alright,"

Tears were still flowing but I was so glad that my dear husband was alright now.

TD smiled at this. "He'll wake soon enough. When he does, I believe we need to talk. But until then, enjoy your rest."

He turned to Humming Bird and acknowledged her fully.

"Wow, what are the odds I'd see you in person?" he said aloud. She looked to him questioningly, and TD chuckled.

"No, we don't know each other... or at least in that sense," he said to her, as if she had spoken to him. "Um... it's hard to explain. How about I just show you?"

He placed a hand on her shoulder and her eyes turned white for a moment, then returned to normal as he released her. She blushed slightly and TD chuckled again.

"I know, it's a bit awkward for me too. But either way, it's a pleasure to meet you Humming Bird."

She smiled and shook his hand with her hoof. Her crow flew by shortly after and perched on her back, making TD raise an eyebrow.

"I swear, that crow is almost human," he remarked. Humming Bird giggled at this. I giggled and came towards the pegasus mare named Humming Bird. I had only just now realized that she was a mute.

"Thank you very much Humming Bird," I said to her, "If you haven't find us on time... I don't even wanna think what could happen..."

Humming Bird smiled and nodded.

 _"No problem,"_ her eyes seemed to say, _"I'm always happy to help."_

TD meanwhile walked over to Zecora and shook her hoof as well.

"Thank you for buying us some time, Zecora," he said, "If there is anyway for me to repay the favor-"

She stopped him with a chuckle.

"The only way you can ever repay me is to continue to be nice to your family."

TD nodded. "You may speak in riddles, my friend, but they are words of wisdom that I take to heart."

After a few minutes, I heard my sweetie making some sounds indicating that he was waking up. I went towards him and caressed my hoof through his hairs.

"Don't worry my love, you're alright now."

He slowly opened his eyes and looked towards me.

"Bub- Bubble..."

I shushed him silently. "Relax a little more my sweetie. You need this."

"What... what happened?" Joy asked.

In response, I looked towards where TD and the rest were standing. He looked there and gave them a smile of gratitude.

"Glad to see you're awake, my friend," Zach said. Diana just gave a cute smile, while TD chuckled.

"You darn fool!" he scolded jokingly, "Next time you mess with dark magic, you should make it your business to call me!" He chuckled, then asked more seriously, "How do you feel?"

"Like I was carrying several tons," He replied, "My muscles are still aching."

"Been there before," TD muttered, then looked concerned. "What happened to you guys? I sensed my Nazgul get harmed awhile back. He's not dead and will soon return, for his life is tied to mine, but if he's been harmed, it means he was protecting you. So, what happened?"

We looked towards each other before Joy gave TD a concern look and spoke.

"That Dark figure was there once again, along with another robot. With them there were some even more powerful allies." He sighed, "They were the alternates of strongest evils forces from Equestria," He said, "While the Nazgul, me, Bubble, my mother, aunt, and the others were fighting them, Bubble was attacked and went unconscious while Nazgul was hurt badly. And then..."

"You got hurt badly by them while saving me from harm and one of them used dark magic upon you before we were teleported here." He gave me a questioning look. "Knowing you, I could easily guess what happened next."

My sweetie looked towards TD and said, "That's what happened. We have to do something now! My family is still in danger." He looked towards me. "Sunlight Blossom! Is she okay?"

"Yes, she's safe and sound, and we can thank Discord for this."

"Wait, who's Sunlight Blossom?" TD asked. He then looked between the two of us. "Is she-?"

"Adopted daughter!" I said, "Royal Guards found her wounded up on the edge of Everfree while investigating a strange creature from Everfree." I sighed. "She was lost and couldn't tell anything about herself."

"With my mother's permission, we decided to adopt her as our daughter," Joy added, "It feels so good to be parents. I realize that now."

I nodded in reassurance.

"Aww!" Diana spoke now, "That's so sweet of you! I'd say she's one of the luckiest fillies in the world."

"Adopted or not, congrats," TD said kindly, "I can't wait to meet her. But first... we have the problem to take care of, don't we?"

"Indeed," Zach added, "And I hate to break to you dad, but unless you have found a way to unite all of your personalities during a fight, I don't think you can take them all on our own."

"No, I can't," TD stated, "That's why you two are coming with me. As well as few friends and family."

"So, we're going back in our Equestria?" My sweetie asked.

"It'd be better if we could make it fast," I said to TD.

"Well we can't have them jumping about like kangaroos, can we?" TD asked, not caring that we probably didn't know what he was talking about. He then walked outside the hut and put his hands to his mouth.

"YODEL-LAYYY-HEEE-HOOOO!" He called out at an impossibly loud volume, as the trees seemed to shake at the sound of his voice. Soon after, in a flash of light, Princess Twilight appeared, along with Screwball, Tracker, and Mimi, along with a figure that I hadn't seen in quite some time: a Changeling with a pink mane and wings.

"Pinkie!" Joy called as he saw her.

"It's so nice to see you again," I said.

"It's good to see you too!" Pinkie exclaimed, "Wow, you're much older than the last time we met! How long has it been? Twenty years? No, maybe forty? Wait! How about-?"

"Pinkie, let them say it please," TD interrupted with a chuckle.

"It's only been 9 years in our world," I said and giggled at her excitement.

"Really?" Pinkie looked interested, "Wow, time really is strange in many cases."

TD chuckled then looked to his wife and other daughter.

"I guess I don't need an explanation at this point. So... ready?"

"Let's do it," Princess Twilight nodded.

"Uh... okay," Mimi answered, a bit nervously. TD noticed this and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry," he said to her, "I won't let them take you. Okay?"

"Okay," she said and gave him a smile.

"Enough chit chat! Let's go!" Tracker shouted impatiently.

"Patience Tracky," Screwball said with a slight glare. TD just shook his head in amusement and snapped his fingers.

And in a flash, we were gone...

* * *

As I opened my eyes, we were in our own Equestria once again. Traveling through dimensions always gave me a headache. I shook my head and looked around. It was a disaster. The palace was damaged and there was no signs of the Princesses or anypony else. There were a few wounded royal guards lying on the ground though.

"Well, this is... a lot less than I expected honestly," TD remarked.

"So sad," Pinkie said with sadness in her tone, "Some ponies are just cruel!"

"The sky is darkened," Zach spoke mysteriously, "A terrible shadow has fallen upon the lands, and all of Equestria is holding its breath."

Screwball looked over at him. "As a being of Chaos myself, that sounded disturbing."

"No, he's right," Tracker stated, "I can sense the presence of some poor souls around here. Some unfortunate enough to not escape alive."

I was shocked myself but maybe as not much Joy was. He fell to his knees and lowered his head.

"I failed the people of my Equestria," He said, "I'm not worthy to be called a Prince if I can't even protect the ones who are close to me."

I could feel the deep anxiety in his voice. I went near him and tried to console him. All of sudden, in a flash of light, Discord appeared there with a little pegasus filly with a yellow coat and light brown mane in his talon.

"You're here," Discord spoke, "I must say I'm glad, but I'm not, as you can see why."

"Hey Discord," TD replied to him, "Thanks for helping out in some way." He then looked to the filly in his claw. "Is that Sunlight Blossom? Are you okay, little one?"

Sunny looked towards TD and hid her face in her wing, much to TD's surprise. I went towards them and called her name.

"Sunny, you can open your eyes now," I said to her as she looked towards me.

"Mommy!" She shouted with glee before she hovered to hug me, "Mommy, I was so scared."

"Don't worry sweetie! Mama will never let something happen to her little daughter," I cooed her. "Sunny, meet your new uncle William."

I gestured towards him as I spoke. She smiled and waved her hoof towards him, and then hid herself behind my front leg.

"She's a little shy towards new ponies," I said, as she soon noticed her father and hovered towards him.

"Understandable," TD replied, then looked around. "Our enemy is still here, but they're in hiding."

"Then we'll force them out," Princess Twilight stated.

TD looked to her and smiled. "Clear Skies?"

"Clear Skies," she agreed. "Everypony who knows this Shout, stand close together."

Joy, Zach, Diana, TD, and Princess Twilight all stood close together, side by side.

"Aim for that darker area over there," TD suggested, pointing towards a small patch of shadow. Then, they all shouted at once.

"Lok Vah Koor!"

A burst of energy left their mouths and the area suddenly was filled with an air of dread.

"Again!" TD called. So they tried again.

"Lok Vah Koor!"

This time, as if appearing out of midair, a burst of dark magic was seen just inches away from my sweetie's face when they finished. Faster than my brain could register, TD jumped in the blast's path, absorbed the darkness, then fired it back where it had come from. It so happened to be a large alicorn figure made of shadows. Sunlight was standing beside me and was a little scared to see this.

"Mommy!" she squeaked.

My sweetie and the others were looking towards the dark Alicorn figure as it stared them back. It was really a terrifying view.

"So, the Terror of Dimensions finally returns to protect the miserable wretches that call this world home," the figure stated, "I must admit, I was expecting someone older."

"And I expected a better villain to approach us," TD scoffed, "But we can't all get what we want, can we Pony of Shadows?"

"That is where you are wrong," the Shadow answered, "Soon, all this realm will suffer the same fate as Joy Star's people, then all will know the despair I felt long ago when I was cast out by my friends!"

"My people?" Joy asked in anger, "What do you mean, you beast?"

"Are you so blind that you cannot conceive of a people other than these miserable creatures?" the Shadow demanded, "Your own planet, the world of your origins, thought that they could deny others like myself what they desired. They suffered the extinction of their kind for their insolence. Not even the children were spared by the cleansing flames."

"'Cleansing', my boot," TD muttered before the Shadow spoke again.

"Allow me to show you what I mean!"

The Shadow fired another burst of darkness in our direction, this time aimed for Sunlight Blossom. Thankfully, TD countered it with his own blast, causing an explosion to occur between the exchange of powers and the Shadow cried out in pain.

"Such power..." the Shadow groaned, "It's beyond... anything I've ever seen."

"This is exactly why even as a villain I have moral codes," TD announced, "Have you no heart, no moral left in you Stygian? Are you that consumed by the darkness to attack an innocent child?!"

As TD was saying this to Pony of Shadows, I noticed that Joy was standing there lowering his head and clenching his front hooves. He then looked towards him. I saw that his eyes were shining with a red color.

"You'll suffer for what you did!" He shouted as red aura started to surround him, "You tried to hurt my daughter!"

 _His voice, it's like... oh no, his rage is corrupting him._ I thought as I was really scared to see this.

"Mommy, what happened to daddy?" Sunny squeaked with fear.

TD noticed this and shouted, "Focus Joy! We have to find and free the others first, then you may beat the tar out of this guy all you want! Besides, you're scaring Sunlight."

"I'm scaring her?" Joy looked towards Sunny as TD said this. She was hiding her face in her wings to see him like this. Seeing this, his eyes became normal and the red aura around him disappeared.

"Sunny my dear, it's still me," My sweetie said with his normal voice, "Don't be scared."

The Shadow laughed. "You can't protect her innocence much longer, Joy Star. None of you can."

"Really, 'cause all I see is- SQUIRREL!" TD suddenly looked off to the side for a moment and was silent, then continued as if nothing had happened, "...all I see is you and your ego."

"Look again," the Pony of Shadows remarked, finishing in an evil laugh. As he did, suddenly several other figures appeared out of pools of darkness that were summoned by the darkness around the Shadow. TD groaned as the figures showed themselves: Chrysalis, Sombra, Tirek, even a darker version of Nightmare Moon.

"Me and my big mouth," TD muttered.

Joy transformed into his Blazing Star form again, only this time his wings were longer than before, and his iris become larger.

"Yay, daddy is powerful again!" Sunny shouted with glee.

**Joy's Pov**

I looked towards the Pony of Shadows and the others as I focused my magic. Then I attacked them with an energy beam.

"You're not going to win this time!"

But before my beam connected, a robotic figure jumped into the path of the beam and deflected it away. It was the Nameless One!

"Oh sure," TD retorted, "NOW he shows. Or is it a decoy?"

TD rushed at the figure, firing magic blasts at him the entire time. The Nameless One simply deflected the attacks with ease, then landed a blow on TD that sent him back towards us.

"I'm afraid not," the Nameless One stated, "This time, it's the real deal."

TD looked up in surprise. "It IS him! Crap crap crap!" He actually seemed to be freaking out.

"Why don't you leave us alone?" I shouted at him.

I summoned my weapon and flew towards him. I was determined to crush his head in my fists. "You cowardly piece of scrap!"

"JOY STOP!" I heard, as Bubble shouted behind me. But I had made my decision. However, when I clashed weapons with him, I was surprised to find myself quickly disarmed and flung right back to where I started.

"You can't beat me, boys," he scoffed, "TD couldn't defeat me without his equally powerful brothers. What chance do you stand against me?" He noticed Mimi and smiled wickedly. "I see you brought the traitor along as well. It'll be more satisfying to destroy all ties to William's family."

TD's eyes suddenly turned into his draconic eyes and he sat up with an angry look.

"Touch even one hair on her head, and you die!" he warned.

I was too surprised. I summoned my weapon back to me, but I was really shocked at the power I had felt.

"No, you will not win this time!" I shouted, and prepared myself to attack once again. "You'll pay for the innocent lives you've taken!"

"Oh please!" Sombra stated darkly, "You can barely take on him. You cannot possibly take us on as well."

"Your situation is hopeless!" Chrysalis shouted.

"If you surrender now, we may still let you live," Tirek added.

"Give in to our might and despair!" Nightmare Moon screeched- actually, I heard TD tell me that it was Nightmare Queen some time later.

"Over my dead body!" Princess Twilight shouted.

"Oh don't worry," the Pony of Shadows scoffed, "You'll be dead too in this scenario."

"Discord!" Bubble shouted as Discord appeared there, "Take care of Sunny!"

Discord sighed and saluted her. "Aye Aye."

"Sunny, stay with your Uncle Discord for a while," Bubble said to her, "Mommy will be back after a while."

She gave her daughter to Discord, who then teleported away. Then she went towards Twilight and stood beside her.

 _I will not leave my sweetie on his own,_ She thought.

The Nameless One sighed as if bored.

"I guess you have a death sentence then?" he asked sarcastically, "Fine then. Show me what you've got, second-rate clowns."

"I'll show you second rate!" TD shouted, charging up magic in his hands, "And this time, I'll make sure to kill you properly!"

At this, I charged his magic once again with my rage and fury. This time, I was determined to finish the Nameless One once and for all.

"I will not give up!" I shouted, "Not until I die!"

"That can be arranged," the Nameless One retorted, "But why throw away your life so recklessly? You fight and you resist with all your strength, but to what end? You know that you can't possibly win. So why bother?"

TD smiled as he started pacing in front of the villains before us.

"Well, as my brother would put it, when your back's up against the wall and you have nothing to lose, why not? Besides, if I'm going down, I'm taking as many of you scumbags with me as I can!"

I smirked and looked towards the Nameless One. Suddenly, I was feeling more determined to fight against him, even though I knew that he was very strong. But I knew that I couldn't lose if I had my friends and family by my side.

"Let's do this my friend," I said, as I floated beside TD, "We aren't going lose... at least not without a fight."

TD nodded, then looked to me and handed me something. It was a stone similar to the one he had given me long ago. But this time, it actually looked like a planet of some kind.

"Joy," he said, "That stone will bring you to my world... my homeworld. More specifically, to my human family. If I don't make it out alive... tell my mother and father I love them."

"Let's hope we don't have to use it."

Saying this, I passed the stone to Bubble using my magic.

"Bubble!"

"I got this," Bubble said, as she took hold the stone in her aura. With that, I looked towards my enemies once again. The Nameless One simply sighed and drew all four of his swords again.

"You've chosen death then," he stated.

With a blinding speed, he charged towards us, but was stopped midway by a blood-red spiritual figure. The Nameless One staggered backwards as the Nazgul of TD stood before him, weapon drawn.

"You will not harm the boy while I remain," the Nazgul remarked.

"Stand aside, foul minion of Sauron!" the Nameless One demanded.

"I serve Sauron no longer," the Nazgul replied, "and you are the one who should stand aside."

The response was several blows exchanged on both sides. Surprisingly, the Nazgul seemed capable of keeping up with the Nameless One's speed, using a combination of teleportation, sword-play, and the occasional blast of magic. At the very least, he was keeping the robot busy. Now and then, a terrifying screech emitted from the wraith that seemed to chill one to the bone.

"Now, my master!" the Nazgul screeched, "I'll keep him busy! Destroy the other heads of the hydra!"

"Other heads of the hydra?" I asked. Then, I understood what he said and looked towards TD. "That's our chance TD!"

TD looked to me, then smirked. He looked back to the villains as a swarm of Changelings appeared from the ruins nearby and stood beside their queen.

"Alright, let's do this!" he shouted, "Make your calls now on who you wish to take on!"

"I'll get the other Changelings!" Pinkie Pie called.

"Count us in!" Screwball and Tracker said to her.

"We've got Sombra," Zach and Mimi stated.

"Diana, Joy and I will take on Tirek," Twilight answered.

"Then that leaves me and Bubble," TD said aloud. "Bubble, feel free to help whoever you wish. I'm going for the Pony of Shadows! Charge!"

With that final note, we all charged into battle as the villains did the same.

"I never wished to see you in real life, so-called Lord Tirek," I said as I hovered towards him and used my weapon to throw slashes of flames towards the horrendous beast. "And I wish to never see you ever again!"

At the same time, Twilight and her daughter shot at him with a combined energy beam. Tirek roared in anger and tried fighting back, but he clearly wasn't having much luck against us.

"You horrid little insects!" he hollered at us, "I'll crush you!"

"Good luck with that!" Twilight smirked as she countered one of his blows while Diana simply phased through his blast like it wasn't even there.

Some ways from us, the combined forces of Tracker, Screwball and Pinkie Pie were causing a panic among the Changelings. And the fact that Pinkie was making herself look like a crazed maniac and Tracker looked like he was feral didn't help their case at all. Very quickly, they started routing, much to Chrysalis's annoyance.

"Arrg!" she screeched, but then suddenly found herself face-to-face with Pinkie herself. Pinkie's curved horn gleamed slightly to indicate how sharp it was and the Changeling/Party Pony smirked.

"I've always secretly wanted to fight your alternate self ever since the day I learned that she took my Changeling mother away from me," Pinkie said to her dramatically, almost creepily, "I guess I'll have to settle with you."

With that, they started to exchange magic blows and occasionally clashed horns with each other in a dangerous duel. However, Pinkie clearly had the advantage due to her smaller size, speed, and overall craziness. Chrysalis didn't stand a chance.

I landed some punches and kicks upon Tirek and dodged or diverted away most of his attacks.

"Is that the best you got?" I asked. "Your brother was right and you should listen to him." I smirked at him.

"Shut up!" Tirek shouted and fired a huge beam at me. However, Diana fired her own burst at his own, and his burst turned into a swarm of butterflies. The butterflies then swarmed around his face and started... attacking him, apparently. I never thought butterflies could be so vicious.

Meanwhile, Sombra seemed unable to keep up with Zach and Mimi. Zach was casting all kinds of spells while deflecting Sombra's own, while Mimi was using her shapeshifting to turn into a pony mare that Sombra seemed hesitant to attack... perhaps someone he once knew.

"Stop! Stop!" Sombra shouted, almost desperately, and fired yet another blast at Zach. However, with a glow from Zach's wings, the blast simply loped around him a few times and then hit Sombra in the eyes, effectively blinding him.

"Ah!" the Shadow Pony screamed as he crumpled to the ground.

Bubble, who was standing ready for this, took the opportunity and attacked the Shadow Pony with her strongest magical attack: an aura heart. For a normal pony, an aura heart was not an attack, but towards Sombra it was able to hurt him badly because of the essence of love in the attack.

"I'm not that useless here after all," Bubble said with a smirk.

"Whoever said that you were?" TD asked. He then realized something when a magic blast fired at him from the right. "Shoot! We forgot about Nightmare Moon!"

"It's Nightmare Queen!" the starry alicorn screeched and fired another blast at him.

"I've got her!" Diana shouted, intercepting the blast with one of her own, turning the former's into a blast of confetti.

"Go get her, Diana!" Screwball shouted encouragingly, then focused back on the enemies around her.

After this, I saw that Tirek was getting weak. I took this opportunity to use my strongest attack. I focused my magic into my fists and focused this some more until my fists were shining brightly. Then I shot a golden aura beam towards Tirek to finish him once and for all. The beam connected, and he roared in despair as the magic he had stolen beforehand was released from his body and he disappeared in a flash of light. Just around the same time, Sombra was also being finished off. He was lying on the ground looking beat, while Mimi and Zach stood over him victorious.

"When I return," Sombra panted, "I will make your souls suffer!"

"Then I guess you won't be returning anytime soon," Zach replied with a smirk. His wings glowed and he fired a beam from each wing above Sombra's head. The beams connected midair and turned into a swirling vortex, sucking up the King into the void within, then closing behind him. Zach and Mimi looked to each other as Mimi turned into what I'd call a female version of Zach. They both highhoofed each other, followed by a big hug.

"Uh, a little help?" Tracker shouted over to me, as he tried to fight off a swarm of Changelings that were trying to pin him down. He was giving them considerable trouble, but it was clear that they'd soon overwhelm him. Meanwhile, I could still just see out of the corner of my eye the Nazgul continuing to keep the Nameless One distracted. I looked towards Bubble and gestured her for a special act. She smirked and nodded. We both rushed towards Tracker who was now being overwhelmed by the Changelings. I took hold of Bubble in my arms and smiled.

"Ready Bubble?"

"Ready Joy!"

With this, her horn started to shine brightly along with my eyes and a magical shockwave erupted from us, impacting the nearby enemies badly. This gave Tracker the breathing room he needed and with blinding speed he knocked out the rest of the swarm. He looked to us and smiled.

"Thanks you two," he said, "I've been trying not to kill them, because they aren't really mad. They're misguided by Chrysalis, and I don't want to hold the same grudge I have towards her over their heads."

"No problem Tracker," Bubble said.

"We're happy to help," I added.

An explosion interrupted out moment as Chrysalis was blasted in the face by the Party Cannon 3500, which of course was being fired by Pinkie.

"Sorry Pinkie!" the Changeling version of the Party Pony said, "I need this more than you do at the moment! I'll try not to break it!"

"Arrg! Get that away from me!" Chrysalis shouted, and recoiled in fear when another shot of a kind of high-pressure spray fired out of the cannon.

"Bug spray is nasty," Pinkie explained, "But it works wonders against my own kind!"

"Gah!" Chrysalis screamed, then she flew up into the sky. "Retreat, my children! Run for your lives!"

The Changelings didn't need to be told twice. All of them flew off as fast as their wings could take them. However, one of them looked down at us for a brief moment, and gave us a short wave and a friendly smile before he joined the swarm.

"No!" the Nameless One shouted, "Get back here! Don't go back to the hive!"

"Yes, yes! Do go back to the hive!" TD called, while blocking an attack from the Pony of Shadows, "It was nice seeing you. Toodles!"

So now we had the advantage against our enemies. Only the Nameless One, the Pony of Shadows and Nightmare Queen remained. Diana and Twilight were fighting with her currently. I, along with Bubble still in my arms, rushed towards them to help them against the monster who'd held my aunt under her control for a thousand years. I needed to teach her a good lesson for torturing one of my family members for that long a time.

"Aaaarrrgggg!" Nightmare Queen roared, and she fired another blast at Twilight, but it was simply deflected off a shield she placed up. Nightmare then tried to impale Diana with her horn, only to have it phase right through Diana's body. Diana smirked, then backed up so the horn was no longer in her body, allowing Twilight to fire a stunning spell at the horn and disable Nightmare's ability to cast spells. Nightmare tried to run, but a set of chains suddenly appeared and chained her up. Zach, Screwball and Tracker soon came over to her, Zach's wings glowing. I guessed that he was the one that had imprisoned her.

"Surrender Nightmare Queen, and we will spare you," Twilight said.

"Never!" Nightmare shouted defiantly.

"Joy, she's all yours," Tracker stated.

"Thanks a lot Tracker!" I said as I looked towards her while a smirk crept on my face. "The day I came to know about you, I really wished to see you face to face so I could teach you a lesson of the life-time for what you did."

I charged my magic in my fists.

"Have you now?" Nightmare scoffed. "You must have a short foresight."

I attacked on her with the same power I used on Tirek when she said that.

"That's for torturing my aunt, you foul creature!"

She disappeared in a cloud of particles when I did that, and all that was left was the Pony of Shadows. TD seemed to be toying with him, but when he noticed that Nightmare Queen was gone, he got serious and fired a portal of his own above the Pony of Shadows. The Shadow struggled to escape the same fate Sombra had been dealt, but to no avail. As he disappeared, TD called out, "Lemme know what you think of the place! I may try that as a vacationing spot after this!"

Just then, a screech was heard that chilled our bones, and the Nazgul disappeared in a fiery explosion. The Nameless One stood with his arm outstretched, his sword having stabbed the wraith and thus being the cause of the Nazgul's disappearance.

"A clever move, William," he said, not even sounding winded, "But ultimately foolish. The longer you prolong this, the more painful your death and the death of your loved ones will be."

TD just glared at him. "How original..."

"There's no use of it," I looked to the Nameless One, "Don't you see that your allies have been defeated?" I flew in the air once again, "What makes you think that you can stand against all of us?" I asked as I looked straight into his eyes "Now here's my offer, tell us where you've imprisoned my family and go away along with your sorry flank-"

"How about I give you your death instead, boy!?" the Nameless One shouted. He leaped into the air towards me, and had I been alone I would've been dead. Thankfully, an equally fast blur intercepted his attack and knocked him backwards, soon revealing itself to be Tracker in his bat form. His fangs glistened dangerously as he hissed at the Nameless One.

"You WILL NOT take him!" Tracker snarled.

"You fight one of us, you fight all of us!" Screwball shouted as she joined his side.

"And suffer our full wrath in the process," TD added, his hands glowing with power. The Nameless One looked around at all of us, and seemed to be weighing the odds. He then seemed to mutter something angrily.

"Now would be a good time to intervene, or are you a coward like my brother?" he called out aloud.

Then suddenly, in a burst of dark lightning, the cloaked dark figure appeared.

"I was a little busy in collecting magic from our prisoners." He smirked as he looked towards the expressions of shock on our face, "They're still alive, however. I want to see those creature's reaction, especially that white Alicorn's, when I kill her so called son in front of her eyes."

Soon, a bubble-like portal above us appeared in which we could see my mother, aunt Luna, Cadence, Shiny, our Princess Twilight and her friends, and several others. All of them were barely awake and chained inside some kind of dungeon.

"Mother!" I yelled as I saw her, and then I looked towards the dark figure in front of me. "That was the final mistake of your life!" I shouted and charged towards him with my weapon in my hand.

"Joy, wait!" TD began, but was stopped by the Nameless One attacking him as well.

"You will not stop us now, William!" he stated, "We've come too far for that."

Just then, a blur passed between them as Tracker broke them apart.

"Wanna bet?" he snarled as the rest of TD's family joined him.

"William, find where he's keeping them," his Twilight stated, "We'll keep the rust bucket and his friend busy while you're gone."

TD nodded, and with a snap he disappeared.

I stabbed the dark figure with my weapon, only to hear a laughter from him.

"You fool," he said and with a burst of lightning, I was thrown many feet away. I flew towards him once again and this time I used my magic to attack him. For a second I thought I had succeeded, but then he suddenly appeared in front of me and punched my face, sending me back to the ground. I crashed hard against the solid ground.

"Ahh!" I groaned.

"Joy!" Bubble quickly trotted towards me, "Are you alright?"

"He's invincible!" I said while gasping heavily "He can't be killed using ordinary weapons."

"Your time has come boy!" He said suddenly appearing in front of us. "Now I'll-"

He suddenly cut himself off and backed away as soon as he noticed something. Something about Bubble.

*end Joy's POV**

* * *

TD looked around at the place he had appeared in. It was a dark, terrible dimension, and all he could see that was any interest to him was an intimidating fortress of some kind. TD looked at it as he spoke aloud in a Popeye voice.

"The Isle of Sinbad. Enter not. For whosoever passeth in, passeth out." He chuckled at his own joke, then more seriosuly, "Welp! Here I goeth ineth."

Inside, TD could feel a dark presence as he walked and the air seemed devoid of life.

"This gives me the creeps," TD muttered, "Too quiet, and not a soul in sight. Is it a trap? Most definitely."

Eventually, he came to a door that he assumed led to a dungeon, considering that it led downwards.

"Knock knock!" TD shouted from outside.

"Who's there?" a voice asked on the other side. The response was the door blasting inward and crushing the poor soul on the other side against a wall, killing him instantly.

"The door," TD stated, "Someone didn't watch the Adfs movies."

"William!" A faint call was heard from a certain direction, "Are you here?"

"Tia?! Lulu?!" he called, then slapped himself. "Why do I keep calling her Lulu?" He sighed, then yelled back, "Keep calling! I'll come to you!"

He followed the voices down through a nasty-looking dungeon and eventually came across several cells that seemed to be housing prisoners of different kinds. TD felt sorry for the creatures locked up.

'I'll free you all. I promise,' he thought to himself. He then noticed one cell that looked familiar.

"Let's see," he said aloud, "What could be behind cell door number one?"

With his hands glowing, he ripped the door off its hinges and threw it aside, then peeked inside. Within the cell, he found his prize waiting for him.

"It's really you," Princess Celestia said. She and all the others who were imprisoned alongside her were almost drained of their magic.

"Oh my goodness," TD spoke softly, "What have they done to you?" He looked at their terrible condition, then added with determination, "Don't worry. I'm getting you guys out of here. All of you, including his other prisoners. No sentient creature left behind."

"That shady figure was draining our magic... to free his master," Celestia said, "He needs Joy's aura to restore his strength completely." Celestia sighed in exhaustion. "Please tell me... that he's alright."

"So that's why they want him so much..." TD muttered. He then seemed to register what she had said and got a worried look.

"Oh no! I just left them with the Nameless One and that dark figure! I'm not sure how much longer we've got! But I couldn't just leave you here to die! What kind of friend would I be then?!" He groaned. "But either way, something bad happens!"

Celestia lowered her head, saddened to hear this. Then she raised her head and spoke.

"Go and protect my son!" Tears appeared in her eyes, "We can hold on a little... more."

"No! I'm not leaving you here!" TD protested, "I already made a promise, and I intend to keep it!"

"You still can!" Suddenly a familiar voice was heard. Looking behind, TD and the others noticed Discord was there along with Sunlight in his talon.

"Discord! How'd you get here?" TD demanded.

"I followed you to this place," Discord replied, "I can take it from here gladly."

Looking around, Sunlight noticed her grandmothers and aunts and many other ponies chained up there. She hoovered towards Celestia and unconscious Luna.

"Grandma Tia, Grandma Lulu," She said, nuzzling Celestia, "We found you." Sunlight said happily "We awe hia to help you."

TD managed a smile at the cute innocence of the filly, then looked to Discord.

"Discord, they cannot remain here! It's stealing their very life, as well as your own. Get them out of here, as well as any being you find locked up in this foul place!"

He looked to Celestia and stared her in the eye.

"I promise you, I WILL protect your son with my very life, and I WILL return to destroy this place for good. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

Celestia nodded and looked towards TD in gratitude. "Thanks."

TD nodded, then with a loud, "Alacaza!" he was gone.

* * *

**Joy's POV**

"Give up already!" the Nameless One shouted, as he tossed Tracker aside. He struck a stone pillar nearby and a sickening crunch was heard, but the vampire stood to his feet almost immediately. Diana fired a beam from her horn, but the Nameless One dodged it, then grabbed her horn and with a single pull snapped it off. That proved to be a mistake, as a large explosion occured from the horn as a result, and Zach got very angry.

"YOU BROKE MY SISTER'S HORN!" he screamed, and an extremely large blast struck the robot and sent him flying several feet away. He then dropped down to Diana's side and his wings glowed. Slowly, her horn grew back and she looked to him with a thankful look.

"What's wrong?" Bubble asked, stepping towards the dark figure along with me, "Afraid of a weak mare like me?"

"No, no! Stay away from me!" The dark figure was begging he,r while crawling backwards on the ground. "I'll kill you!"

Hearing this, I grabbed the figure in my hand and glared into his dark eyes.

"You can't do anything at all and we can see this," I chuckled at his cowardliness, "I can't believe you're the one trying to kill me all along."

With this, I tossed him away like a rock. Then he got up and looked towards the Nameless One. He was surprised at this as well.

"That's... impossible..." he muttered.

"Tell that to the group that's about to kick your metal butt!" Mimi shouted, her image having changed into a literal hydra. The rest of us were advancing as well. The Nameless One growled, but before he could come closer, there was a loud, "HAZAM!" and TD appeared before us in a flash of red lightning... right behind our enemies.

"Did I miss something?" he asked with a smirk. I smiled to see TD there. His tone was telling that my family, friends, and others were safe.

"Yeah, you missed this so called invincible enemy cowering before Bubble," I chuckled, "Now only this piece of scrap is remaining." I looked towards the Nameless One. "Let's finish him together."

"Look out for yourself!" the dark figure spoke, "Good luck."

The Nameless One looked to us, then back to the dark figure, and then back to us again.

"As much as I hate to say it, retreat may be our only option," he admitted. "But let it not be said that I am a coward like you!"

"I never thought you were," TD stated, "And you've proven that today. Now go, before I melt you."

The Nameless One simply pulled out a small remote with a button and pressed it, enveloping himself and the dark figure in a flash of light. When it cleared, they were gone.

"And with that, the conflict is over... for now," TD remarked.

"WAHOO!" Pinkie shouted, firing the Party Cannon 3500 into the air. It's a good thing she did, because it was apparently set to a fireworks setting. A beautiful display occurred in the sky above and Pinkie noticed one display in general.

"Hey, that looks like that one Tempest used!"

"That's because she helped me with that one, Pinkie," TD explained.

Just then, Discord appeared there in a flash along with all my family, friends, and many other ponies. Most of them were unconcious but thankfully alive. Along with them there were several other kind of creatures. Suddenly, I was hit by a soft bundle of joy upon my face. I realized that it was my daughter Sunny hugging me excitedly.

"Daddy, me and uncle Dishcord shaved them!" She said excitedly, "I'm bwave like you!"

Bubble and I hugged our daughter with glee. Although, as much as I was happy to see my daughter safe and sound, I was also a little mad at Discord for taking her to such a dangerous place. But I could forgive him for this. The darkness had faded away now. I noticed that there was some strings of vine in Bubble's mane. I removed it and looked at it.

"That must've got stuck in my mane while I was crossing the Everfree," she explained. I tossed the piece of vine and shrugged. TD smiled with relief.

"Well, this was fun! Not really, but I'm glad it worked out in the end. Still, there's one last thing to be done, and that's getting these other creatures back home... that is, if home's still there for them."

He looked to the other creatures, all of which varied in shape and size. Some looked somewhat human, others were more like the ponies I grew up with all my life... only in the form of other animals. Some of them looked towards TD hopefully and some of them looked down in hopelessness.

"He'd destroyed our worlds," A bipedal wolf sitting among some others spoke up, "Along with our people."

Then another creature with an almost human face and a bulky body with only one eye on his forehead spoke, "I'm the last of my kind."

Then there was a creature who looked like a bear, only with intelligent eyes and a little larger head. "There's no use, we've already lost everything."

TD sighed sadly, then looked up to address the entire group.

"For those who's homes remain, I can send you back to them. I can also give you my blessing to continue on in your worlds. May your lives continue on with much happiness."

With that, he opened his palm and seemed to blow some kind of sparkling dust on those who had a home left, and they slowly disappeared. He then turned to those that remained.

"I... can't bring back the worlds you've lost, but I can offer you a new beginning. If you'll take it..."

They looked towards each other and then towards TD.

"We're listening," One of them said.

TD smiled. "Outside this world, there is another Equestria which I come from. It is just as beautiful a land as this one, and I have no doubt that you'd be able to start a new life there."

Princess Twilight stood beside him and added, "As the Princess of Friendship, I would also like to extend my hoof in friendship towards you all, as well as help you start over. You're always welcome in our world."

"Yeah!" Screwball joined in.

"It's cool," Tracker added.

"The more the merrier!" Queen Pinkie Pie shouted gleefully.

I don't think we've much options left," Wolf said and all of them seemed to be in agreement, "I'm in. By the way my name's Razor Fang."

Then the one-eyed creature spoke, "I'm Phemus."

"I'm Maulus!" the sentient bear added.

All of them seemed to agree to this. TD smiled again, then looked around at the Equestrians he had saved earlier.

"Hey Zach, do you think you can pull up the portal?" he asked his son, "I've got unfinished business to attend to."

Zach grinned as his wings glowed and the portal appeared.

"Right this way," he said kindly to the remaining creatures as he led them out. Meanwhile, TD and his Twilight walked over to us and gave a small smile.

"Well, it's good to see you're all still in one piece," TD stated.

"Thank you," Bubble replied "For helping us once again."

As Bubble said this, Sunny flew towards TD and hugged him while wrapping his chest as much as she could in her small arms.

"Shank you uncle," She said and then flew back to me and sat in my lap. I smiled as I looked towards TD. TD looked like he was about to burst with joy at what just happened. Literally. He then chuckled.

"I'm never gonna get used to that, am I?" he asked no one in particular. He then looked to me, "Take care while I'm gone. I'll try to visit you again soon." He looked to Sunny, "Especially you, little filly. You were very brave today."

"I think we all could use a vacation after this," Twilight agreed. She then looked to me and asked, "Has my alternate self gotten her wings yet? I need to know, just in case."

"Why don't you look for yourself?" I heard as the Twilight of my Equestria appeared there. As TD's Twilight could see, she had wings now and the only difference in them was of their height. TD's Twilight was a little taller than this Equestria's Twilight.

"Wow!" TD's Twilight exclaimed, "Time flies, doesn't it?"

"Guess we'll be using that spell after all," TD chuckled. He then heard Zach calling from the portal.

"Last call for home!" the pesgaus shouted.

"Well, guess this is goodbye again," TD's Twilight said to my own. "Maybe you and I should arrange for a visit with each other?"

"I think that's a wonderful idea." Twilight replied as her other friends gathered there as well. They all were really glad to see their friends Joy and Bubble safe and sound.

"I'll look forward to it," TD's Twilight said with a smile, "Maybe I'll be able to teach you a few spells William taught me."

The portal made a loud noise, and she looked back with slight worry, then back.

"Well, goodbye everypony! I'll see you all soon!"

Me and Bubble, and our Twilight and her friends waved their hooves towards TD's Twilight as she rushed to the portal. It closed behind her as she jumped through. Now, only TD remained. For some reason, he hadn't gone for the portal himself. I gave TD a questioning look as he was still there even when the portal was closed which he usually don't do. I had to know, so I asked him.

"TD, are you worried about something?" I asked. He looked to me.

"That's part of it," he said, "but I also made a promise. And I should keep it while I can." He looked up at mother. "I said that I'd return to destroy that place... I wasn't joking. Not even its foundations will be left when I'm through with it."

"That's what should be done," Mother said, "That place shouldn't be remaining at all."

"Then it's settled," TD stated. "Although... I'd prefer if none of you came with me. If you do try, I won't stop you. But what I may end up doing..." He stopped himself for a moment before continuing. "Twilight- my Twilight... I think of her almost like an anchor for me. Without her, I'm often afraid I'll take things too far."

"So you plan to do this on your own?" Bubble asked.

"That's the plan," TD stated. "So unless you want to try and stop me..."

"I won't stop you from destroying that place," I said to him, as I gave Sunny to Bubble, "But I'm coming with you. I'll not let you go to such a dangerous place on your own."

TD managed a small smile.

"I figured," he said, then to the rest of the group, "I'll bring him back in one piece, or you can kill me personally."

"I'll do that gladly if something happened to him," Bubble threatened him lightly, "But I'm sure I can trust you."

TD nodded, then with a snap of his fingers, we disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

"We have to leave this place, now!" the Nameless One shouted angrily at the dark figure.

"Figured!" Dark figure said, "Do you think I'm a fool?"

With this, both of them disappeared in a flash of dark lightning. Not long afterwards, TD and Joy teleported into the room they had been in. TD looked around, then got a grim expression.

"They must've known that we were coming, and left in a hurry," TD stated, "The threatening presence is not as strong anymore."

"So we should finish our job as soon as we can!" Joy said to TD.

"Agreed. But first, let's get outside. I don't want this place falling on our heads when we do this."

TD led Joy outside the castle, then looked towards it.

"Let's send this foul stronghold back into the abyss," TD said. He lifted his hands and the stronghold started to shake and tremble.

"Joy, you may have the honors," TD stated.

Joy nodded and used his hand to blast a destructive shot at the castle, which broke through the castle's insides. TD made a crushing motion with his fists and the castle started crumbling to dust. With sharp and loud crushing noises, the castle was destroyed completely.

"Well done!" Joy said as he looked to TD, "We did it my friend!"

"Yes, but I doubt we've seen the last of them," TD said bluntly. "Prepare yourself and you world, for they will return."

Joy nodded at this and looked like he was happy to save his home once again. But something else was going on in his mind. He was feeling bad for "his world" and his people. Never had he felt so guilty in whole of his life.

 _Am I responsible for their death?_ He thought.

TD seemed to notice that something was bugging him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "And don't pull the 'nothing's wrong' card, please."

He sighed and looked towards TD. "That shadow pony told that the planet I was born upon and all the people of my kind were destroyed." He shed a few tears, "I'm the last of my kind." He sobbed, "I'll never know another one of my kind ever in my life."

TD nodded and hugged the saddened prince in an attempt to comfort him. After a moment, he looked Joy in the eye.

"I heard your thoughts, and this is not your fault," TD said comfortingly, but also sternly, "Your people may not have expected the extinction of their kind, but they knew the risk they were undertaking when they denied that freak what he wanted. They also must've understood what greater risks would have been present had they complied with his demands. Their death is not on you, Prince Joy Star. If you want someone to blame, blame the one who killed them in the first place."

Hearing this, Joy looked towards TD and said, "But then why I was that special? Why did they have to save only me?"

"If they could've saved their whole race, I have no doubt they would've done just that," TD replied, "But sometimes, you can't save them all. So you save what you can. Joy, you know those flashbacks you had about your parents leaving you behind as a child?" He nodded. "They knew that they couldn't save themselves as well as you, so they sacrificed themselves to keep your location a secret, in the hopes that their sacrifice was not in vain. And from what I've seen, their sacrifice has paid off. They live on through you." TD looked a bit sheepish, "I'm not the best at these things, but I do what I can."

Joy was silent for a while then he hugged TD once again.

"Thank you William. I needed... to hear this," He said, "I will not let my people's sacrifice go in vain. I'll stop those evils who destroyed my world at every cost," He said with determination.

TD smiled and looked to his friend with a supportive look.

"And you'll always have my power at your side whenever you need me."

TD looked around at the dark dimension they were in and chuckled before looking back to Joy.

"I should probably send you back before Tia starts trying to follow you here. I doubt she could make the jump, but you'd be surprised what a mother is willing to go through for her son."

"I understand," Joy chuckled, "I know my mother."

TD giggled, then prepared the spell.

"Take care, Joy. Give Sunny a big hug for me."

A beam fired from TD's hand and Joy disappeared in a flash of light. However, instead of leaving himself, TD simply caused a crystal ball to appear in midair and peered into it. As he expected, the face of the Nameless One appeared, looking very surprised.

"Forgot you still had that, didn't you?" TD asked with an angry expression, "And I've managed to make it a means of communication. Now, let me talk to the one you work for."

"I work WITH him," the Nameless One corrected, "Unlike you, I don't serve others."

"Fine. Let me speak to the one you work WITH," TD stated.

"Or what?"

TD's eyes turned into his draconic eyes.

"You don't want to know."

Suddenly, TD heard a chuckle as Dark figure appeared in the Crystal ball. "Here I am!"

"For a coward, you sure like to make an entrance," TD scoffed, then he asked, "Why the boy?"

"You want to know?" Dark Figure said, "That'd be one of last things you'll ever know." He chuckled again. "That boy is the descendant of the one who captured my master and imprisoned him." Dark Figure sighed. "He used to be a powerful tyrant of a strong world and I used to serve him, until a group of fools stood against him, and they thought they'd live happily after what they did to my master. You know for yourself what happened to them." He chuckled once again. "I needed boy as the last ingredient to restore master's dark powers." He spoke boldly. "Here, that's my only purpose."

"But why him?!" TD demanded again. "As soon as I came into the picture, you must've known that I was the more powerful! I'm more powerful than Joy could ever be, power beyond comprehension! The Nameless One defeated me once on his own, and with you on his side I guarantee you'd have succeeded if you tried to take my own powers and use it to free your master. So why?! Why not go for me?!"

"It's called 'revenge' boy," Dark Figure spoke, "My master wants him so he'll get him."

TD looked the figure in the eyes, letting him see into his own soul. For what most didn't realize with TD, unless they were specially tuned in to such things, was that they were looking into the eyes of a being older than the oldest of planets; so powerful that he could make himself a god, and so old that the immortal lifespan of the oldest dragon looked like a grain of sand on a beach.

"Then tell your master that as long as he hunts Joy, I will continue to protect him and all in his world," TD stated darkly, "And if any of you so much as lays a toe upon that world, you will suffer my full wrath! And that's not a threat; that's a promise."

"Here's my promise: I'll hunt down the boy and destroy that pitiful world he calls home and the pathetic creatures he called his friends," Dark figure said before fading away. TD's response was a roar of rage and he threw the crystal ball to the ground, shattering it completely. He sat there for a few moments trying to regain his composure, then looked out at the sky.

"I will not let him win," he whispered, "Not this time. I've failed my friends and family once, I'm not going to fail them again."

With this, TD disappeared in a fiery explosion, a single resolve on his mind.

"I'm going to end this if it's the last thing I do..."

* * *

 **The final battle approaches! As well as finals for my school. YAY!**

 **I'm interested in cover art for this story if it can be provided. Any volunteers? No one? Fine, I can live with it.**

 **I hope you all enjoyed!**


	7. Chapter 7

**This is getting intense for me. I didn't originally plan this for the Nameless One, but it's actually working out.**

 **So, this just might be the grand finale! I hope...**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"Have you checked to see that everything is in perfect condition?" the Nameless One asked one of his robots. He was a few miles above the Canterlot Palace inside an invisible dropship of his. For he was about to undertake an important mission for his benefits.

"Checked and double checked sir!" the robot said with a toneless voice. A human in futuristic armor stepped nearer to him.

"Are you sure you wish to do this alone sir?" he asked.

"You'd only get in the way," Nameless said rudely before jumping off the ship. As planned, it quietly started leaving when he jumped. He activated a special setting on his armor and hit the ground unharmed, while special technology muffled the sound. Standing to his feet, Nameless crept through the halls of the palace, killing off any guards that got in his way, until he finally came across a certain door in the palace. He smiled to himself, knowing that his quarry would be inside. Carefully, he opened the door... and was angered to see that his prize was not alone. Bubble Heart lay asleep on her bed, but Joy was there too.

"Idiots!" he said to himself, "I knew that distraction wouldn't work. Well... guess I'll have to change this a bit.

He crept closer as a knife appeared in one of his four arms, poised and ready for the kill...

Just then, Joy felt a little discomfort and turned himself towards Bubble, only to notice the Nameless One with half opened eyes. As he noticed this, he woke up and shouted at the robot master.

"YOL!" He yelled, blasting a shockwave of fire at him, waking Bubble in the process. Nameless growled as he blocked the attack.

"Curse you boy!" he shouted, "Why can't you cooperate for once!?"

Bubble was scared to see that beast in their bedroom.

"COOPERATE?!" Joy yelled, "You were going to kill my wife!" Joy came out of bed and stood in front of that bot. "Your final mistake!"

Saying this, he transformed into Blazing Star and summoned his weapon. Nameless gave him a look as he pulled out his own weapons.

"This again?"

He pressed a button on his arm and suddenly, Joy and Bubble found themselves outside the palace in the courtyard.

"There," Nameless stated, "This should be more than efficient fighting space, don't you think?"

"I seriously do!" Joy yelled, charging his weapon and attacking the Nameless One. Nameless wasn't scared at all, but he was surprised as Joy tossed him several feet away using the Blazing Edge.

"I'm getting better at my powers, don't you think?"

"Quite!" Nameless smirked as he righted himself and landed a blow of his own on Joy, sending him crashing to the ground. "I'll admit, this wasn't part of my agenda, but I'm always willing to crush a hero. It shows the rabble that there is no hope, and keeps the weak in line."

"Who're you calling weak?" Joy stood up once again and attacked on him with super swiftness in an attempt to reach to his head.

"Carefull Joy!" Bubble shouted.

Nameless simply smacked Joy aside and fixed his eyes on Bubble.

"Seeing is believing," he stated, aiming a laser at her. He fired it, but right when he did, a shockwave of red energy swept over the area and a brick wall suddenly appeared in front of Bubble, blocking the attack before disappearing. Afterwards, a strange humming sound was heard close by.

"Hm?" Bubble said as she opened her eyes and saw that she was still in one piece. She didn't recognized the noise, neither did Joy. But he was happy that Bubble was safe and sound. He chuckled to see Nameless fail again.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Nameless demanded. "What is this devilry?"

"That 'devilry' is an illusion that can kill," a voice said from above. Soon, a strange figure floated down between them. It was about the same size as Bubble, but on two legs instead of four. It was black in color with grey on its head. Black shoes and gloves covered its hands and feet and a silver mask was over its face. One yellow eye could be seen on one side of the mask, but the other was a red lightning bolt. On its chest was a glowing gem of some kind.

"Who are you?" Nameless demanded.

"You may call me... Infinite, in what brief moments remain to you," the figure stated, crossing its arms as it stared down at the robot.

"A hedgehog?" Bubble asked aloud, recognizing the creature if not the figure, "A talking hedgehog?"

Joy was also surprised to see this. Nameless simply smiled.

"Well... Infinite, stand aside. The boy is of no concern of yours."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Infinite stated as he floated to the ground.

"Please, I insist!"

Nameless rushed forward with blinding speed in an attempt to stab the hedgehog through the gut, but was surprised to find the hedgehog sidestep out of the way at a much faster speed.

"Your insistence is futile!" Infinite stated, as another wave of energy erupted from his body. Joy could've sworn that it came from the gem on his chest. The Nameless One suddenly found himself floating in midair as if gravity had gone in reverse for him.

"Wh-what is this?!" he shouted helplessly. As an answer, Infinite flew into him at top speeds, knocking him to the ground. He then proceeded to beat the tar out of the four-armed robot, using teleportation, his speed, and even some clones of himself. [Think Infinite beating up Sonic in _Sonic Forces_. Terrible game btw]. After a full minute, Nameless fell to the ground defeated, only barely managing to hit a button on his arm and disappear from the area as Infinite came down in front of Joy and Bubble. He stared them in the eyes intently, but also as if to confirm their presence. Bubble was standing beside Joy, making sure that the scratch on his arm didn't hurt that much. Joy had turned back to normal now, which Infinite found pretty interesting.

"Thanks," Joy said to the figure before him, "By the way, who are you exactly?"

Bubble didn't speak as she was more focused on healing the scratch on Joy's arm.

"So, you're the human boy my daughter has spoken so highly of?" Infinite remarked, "Glad to see that her impression of you wasn't wrong."

"Your daughter?" Joy thought for a second. "Oh, you must be... Serena's dad. It's so nice to meet you."

"Indeed," Bubble nodded in agreement, "It's nice to see you in person."

Joy tried to stand up for a handshake.

"Stay still Joy. I need to focus," Bubble remarked.

Infinite chuckled, but not unkindly.

"Not the best first impression, am I?" he asked, "In this form, I'm known as Infinite, but outside it..."

A red burst of energy engulfed him and a new figure stood before them. He was red with white gloves and blue shoes. His eyes were still yellow, but the mask had disappeared completely. (In other words, Sonic recolor). He grinned as he finished with a bow.

"Red the Hedgehog, at your service."

"There," Bubble said to Joy, "It's better now."

Joy nodded and stood up for a handshake with the hedgehog. "Prince Joy Star," Joy stated, "Call me Joy, and this is my wife."

"Bubble Heart," Bubble said.

"Pleasure," Red said cheerfully, "Serena has told me a lot about you two. I'm actually starting to think I'm gonna like you guys."

"Red?!" another voice called. "Red, you sorry excuse of a teammate, where are you?!"

Red sighed. "Except for that."

Soon, another figure rushed forward from the streets. It was about Red's size and had the same white gloves and blue shoes, but this time it was a fox. A fox with blue eyes and a sword. When it noticed Joy, he looked to Red.

"Okay, with the exception of TD, since when have humans been in Equestria?" he asked.

"Bill, we're in the wrong universe to be asking that," Red stated.

"Right..." Bill looked to them apologetically. "Sorry. Bill Prower. And you are?"

"Ah... I'm Joy Star," Joy said nervously. Bubble giggled

"My name's Bubble Heart," she said, then looked towards Joy.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr. Prower," he said.

"Likewise," Bill stated. He then looked to Red, who gave him a smirk.

"I know what you're thinking, so let me say it for you..." Red's voice suddenly turned into a perfect impression of Granny Smith as he spoke. "Where in the thunder are we?"

"You're in Canterlot," Joy replied.

"More specifically, castle's courtyard," Bubble added.

"Forgive me if I sound rude," Bill answered, "but I think he meant, 'Which universe are we in?' I've been to Equestria before, and you definitely aren't in the Equestria I know. Your memories are more than enough of an indicator for that."

Bill suddenly seemed to register what he had said and facepalmed himself. Red chuckled.

"And you say that I'm the one who does the mind-reading thing out of the blue."

"Looks like you got answer Mr. Prower," Joy chuckled.

"Please, call me Bill," the fox said with a smile, "And I apologize if that freaked you out a bit."

"I've seen too many strange things to be freaked out now," Joy replied.

"Same here," Bubble giggled, "So we're not freaked out at all."

Joy seemed to realize something. "I think we should head back to the Castle," he said, "Morning is approaching and you know Sunny will be really worried if she didn't see her parents in their room."

Bubble nodded as Joy looked towards Red and Bill.

"Agreed," Bill stated, sheathing his sword.

"By the way, congrats!" Red answered, "Adopted or not, I can already tell that you two make wonderful parents."

Joy was a little surprised as he seemed to read his mind. Then he nodded and smiled in gratitude. "Then let's go."

After they reached in the castle, they saw something really horrifying. The dead bodies of royal guards were sprawled on the floor. They had been killed ruthlessly. Bubble was unable to stand this gory view, so she almost lost her consciousness. Joy held her in his arms right before she could hit the ground and helped her to keep herself together.

"How could somepony be so... cruel?" Bubble sobbed.

Joy looked towards all those lost innocent lives. "I don't know Bubble, but I promise that it's the last time he'll do that."

"Don't make a promise you can't keep," Bill stated grimly. He turned to Red and seemed to ask him something without saying a word.

"I could for maybe five of them Bill," Red said aloud, "But those three over there... that's a no-go. Besides, I don't want to freak them out more. The last thing they need to see is a mad scientist."

"What do you mean?" Joy asked "You can do something about this!"

"It's called the reanimation of dead tissue, and yes," Red replied, "Have you read anything here about someone trying to bring the dead back to life?"

"It's forbidden!" Joy replied, "It's not what one should try." He paused for a while then spoke, "I read there was one unicorn who tried to do so, and he was killed by one of his experiments."

"Well, the thing about me is this..."

Red suddenly pulled out an entire set of mechanisms, wires and other equipment out of nowhere and set them beside one of the bodies. How he did it or where he had gotten them from was unclear. It was almost like Pinkie Pie or TD. Red chuckled as he finished.

"I'm all about doing what 'shouldn't' be done."

"I am now sorry I ever brought that up," Bill stated, giving himself a facepalm.

"I can forgive you, but I don't know how mother would react at this," Joy said.

"So don't tell," Red stated, hooking some of the mechanisms to five of the guards, then connecting them with wires. He then rushed outside at the speed of sound with a bigger wire and returned shortly after without it.

"There! That should do it!" he said with a smile. "Now we just need some lightning."

"Which we don't have," Bill stated, a triumphal look on his face. But that soon faded when Red smirked at him.

"You forget that I have something that can easily fix that," he said, tapping his chest. Bill groaned.

"Why can't you just use that instead of lightning?"

"Thanks for the idea!" Red shouted, running outside again. Bill realized his mistake and slapped himself once more.

"Why?" he groaned, "What did I do to deserve this?"

"Daddy is that you?" Suddenly, Sunny came hovering over there, but before she could see all of that mad scientist setup Joy grabbed her and covered her eyes with his hand.

"What awe you doin?" She giggled.

"Nothing my little filly," Joy said as he gave Red an annoyed look. "You're up early today?"

Just then, electricity coursed through the wires, the bodies of the guards shook for a few seconds, then they opened their eyes and looked around.

"Uh... what just happened?" one of them asked.

"You're welcome!" Red's voice shouted as he came back inside. However, while running at his sound-breaking speeds, he tripped and skidded across the floor in front of them. Bill laughed at this.

"Serves you right, ya crazy pincushion!"

"Wha- what was that?" Sunny shivered in Joy's lap, "Was that lightny? I scared of lightny!" She hugged her dad closely.

"Don't worry my sunshine, you're alright," Joy said.

Bubble came to sooth her filly. Red just looked annoyed.

"Why would you do that Admirer Boy? You jerk!" he shouted.

Bill looked to Joy and Bubble. "Ignore him. He has the same thing Pinkie has for these kind of things. Only he likes to be more in-the-face with his."

"Just don't scare her more okay?" Bubble snapped back at Red.

"I'll try..." Red said with a downhearted look. He almost made it seem like they were talking to a child.

"Okay, what did we miss this time?" a familiar voice suddenly interrupted.

Soon, they all noticed TD, his wife, their vampire son Tracker, Screwball, and another unicorn mare Joy and Bubble didn't recognize, though she reminded Joy of his beloved cousin Cadence in many ways.

"I'm not going to be the one to tell you," Joy said as he looked towards Red and Bill. Sunny also seemed to recognize TD's voice. She looked towards him and waved a hoof. Bill and Red looked to the group, and seemed to get different reactions.

"Oh, hi TD!" Red called cheerfully as TD waved to them, especially Sunny. Bill, on the other hand, was looking in the direction of the other mare. The mare was following his example. After a short silence, they both cried out in joy.

"Flurry!"

"Bill!"

The two rushed over to each other and into a big hug. As they hugged, Joy and those with him noticed a pair of wings spread out and join the embrace between the two. She was another alicorn. Joy and Bubble looked towards her in surprise.

"She's an Alicorn Princess!" They both said in unison

"She looks like Aunty Caddie," Sunny said.

The two pulled away and Bill managed a small laugh.

"Look at you. All grown up," he said in slight disbelief.

She giggled. "Time does that to you. How are you, old friend?"

"Old?" Bill chuckled, "Making me feel my age, are we?"

They shared a laugh before Bill answered, "I've been doing well. Came on over because I felt it wise to keep an eye on the recolor of Sonic."

Flurry giggled again, then looked to the group staring at her.

"Hello, I'm Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire, at least back home. And please, call me Flurry."

"Princess Flurry Heart of the Crystal Empire?" Joy thought for a moment, "But the Crystal Empire is ruled by my cousin Cadence," He said and gave TD a strange glare, "I don't know how much future you're going to spoil for us TD but..." he looked towards to Flurry once again, "It's nice to meet you Flurry. I'm Prince Joy Star of Canterlot. This is my wife, Princess Bubble Heart, and this is our beloved daughter Sunlight Blossom."

"Hi," Sunny squeaked a little bit like Fluttershy.

"Hello there," Flurry said to Sunny kindly. TD looked to Joy and chuckled.

"If you must know, Flurry is Cadence and Shinning's daughter back home," Twilight answered, giving TD a look.

"Surprise!" Screwball and Tracker announced simultaneously.

"I came to know this when she told me she's from Crystal Empire. Beside she just looks like her mother," Joy said.

"True. Your mother is my most favorite of relatives," Bubble said to Flurry.

"That's something we can agree to," Bill answered, "She was very hospitable when I first met her."

"Well you did save her daughter's life," TD stated. He then looked at the night sky. "Annnnd, we still came at a bad hour. I hope Celestia didn't wake yet."

Soon they noticed that sun was rising. They could only mean that Joy's mother was at balcony doing her first royal duty as a Princess. A few moments after that, they heard synchronized hoof-steps. In a short while, Celestia was there herself. As she reached them and noticed the group, she sighed.

"William, you really need a schedule." She giggled. "And I suppose they're your friends," She said looking towards Red and Bill. But soon her smile vanished as she saw the three dead guards. Her expression became one of anger and the sun itself could be seen in her eyes.

"They were here again. Weren't they?"

"I wish I could say no, but it seems so," TD said gravely.

"You're lucky we came before he did," Red stated, "Otherwise they wouldn't be the only ones lost."

Red suddenly slapped himself in the face, followed by a glare from Bill.

"Red, for once just don't," he stated. He then looked to Celestia and politely held out his hand. "Bill Prower. And he's Red, in case you missed it. Although at times, when he takes a different form, he's also known as Infinite."

"Pleased to meet you and your friend Bill," Celestia said, shaking her hoof with him, "Princess Celestia, co-ruler of Equestria." She placed her hoof on her chest.

"A pleasure," Red muttered, still rubbing his cheek, "Next time Bill, don't make me slap myself so hard."

"Sure, when rabbits fly," Bill stated, "And no, chaotically altered rabbits don't count. Same goes with Cream."

TD laughed. "What on earth is even my life anymore?"

Celestia gave TD a glare of anger which even though it didn't scare him, it was enough to silence his laughter. Then she looked towards the passed away royal guards again and thought about all of the innocent lives those beasts took in last years. It was more serious than she thought.  
Joy came towards his mother's side and leaned himself against her side. Celestia took her son under her wing and looked down in anxiety while Joy gave her a look of guilt.

"That's not your fault, okay?" Celestia said, remembering all of the lost innocent lives.

"Mom..."

"I SAID THAT'S NOT YOUR FAULT." She repeated, accidentally using her royal Canterlot voice and scaring everyone in the process. But soon she noticed this and nuzzled her son.

"Sorry my son, I'm just really upset," She said, releasing him from the wing hug and shedding some tears, "You should go to your room."

Joy nodded and went towards his room. Sunny was still hiding her face while she was in Bubble's hoof. Celestia gave her an apologetic look.

"Go and try to calm him down," Celestia said to Bubble. She did what she said while going after her husband with her daughter.

"Should I arrange rooms for you?" Celestia asked, "If you're going to stay then?"

"Yes please," Bill said with a yawn, "Thanks to Red, I ended up having to wake up a little too early just to follow him. Hard to believe that he's a father, ain't it? Considering that he acts like a child half the time."

"I do not!" Red protested, using a perfect mimicry of a child's voice as he spoke.

"Very well," Celestia said, summoning a bell and ringing it two times. In a few moments, a unicorn maid came there. "Please take our guests to their rooms."

The maid bowed before her, before doing as she said.

"This way please," she said leading the way, "I'll show you your rooms."

The majority of the group followed her out, but TD stayed a moment longer. Walking over to the bodies of the dead gaurds, he muttered something in an ancient tongue that was unfamiliar to the Equestrians, then he closed the eyes of one whose eyes were still open.

"You've served your kingdom well," he whispered, "Find peace in death."

He then sighed and snapped his fingers. Two clones of himself appeared and started taking them outside the palace, presumably to bury them, while he himself continued to the rooms provided for his friends and family.

Celestia shed some tears before heading to her chambers to spend some time alone.

-Joy and Bubble's room-

"I don't know what to do my love." Joy said to Bubble.

"Don't worry my sweetie," Bubble said putting her hoof on his shoulder, "TD and his friends are here to help us."

"And still we lost so many innocent lives in recent years and I almost lose you today. This is just getting even worse." Joy snapped back at her. Bubble became silent at this and sighed deeply. Sunny, who was playing with her dolls at her parents bed, came towards her dad.

"I'll make you alwight dad," She said and hugged her father. Joy smiled and returned the hug.

"Thanks my sunshine," Joy said, "I needed this."

"We could all use some more cheerful times," a voice said nearby. Looking down, they noticed Red standing in the doorway, for once not holding a childlike expression. He looked more serious and grave, a stark contrast from before.

"Red," Joy said, "Why aren't you in your room?"

Red put on a smile. "What, I'm not allowed to explore?" He then sighed and lost his smile. "I don't require sleep like the rest of my friends. Even vampires sleep occasionally, but I don't even need a single wink."

"Good for you," Joy sighed, "You're allowed to explore... just don't try something... chaotic like your friend."

"That's not something I can promise entirely," Red admitted, "You see, TD's more than just my friend. In a technical sense... I am TD. Same with Bill."

"Wow!" Joy said in mock amazment "That goes straight over my head..."

"What's that even mean?" Bubble giggled as she thought it was a joke. "That's just non-sense."

Red's response was to close his eyes. Suddenly, the entire room darkened and his image, while still a hedgehog, took on a different appearance. He now looked like he had jumped out of a black-and-white film, his eyes were glowing white, and power radiated from his body. The powers of Chaos. More specifically, the power of the Terror of Dimensions. The light returned, his image returned to normal, and he was back to being Red the Hedgehog. He looked to them with a serious expression, waiting for a response or reaction. But his curiosity was interrupted by a squeak from a little filly.

"Mom!" She whined curling herself at her mother's side

"You scared her Red," Bubble said, "Please don't do the stuff like that in front of her."

Joy was still more than surprised, "How's that even possible?"

Red looked to Sunny apologetically. "Sorry, little one. I forgot you were in the room for a second there. I'll try not to do that again." He then gave a loud sigh. "Whew! It's been awhile since I've done that." He looked to Joy and answered his question. "TD may have told you before, but his being is made up of three personalities: good, evil, and neutral. Bill used to be his good personality, and I his neutral personality. Pretty crazy, huh?"

The response was a confused blank stare from both of them. They both were silent for some brief moments when finally the confused expression on Joy's face seemed to fade away. Then he finally spoke. "So you both are two different aspects of TD's?"

"In a sense, yes. But in another sense, no," Red stated, "You see, it was before TD had met Twilight- his Twilight- and we sensed that something bad had happened to him. Something that we couldn't stop in time. Bill, wanting to rid himself of the dark tyranny that was expected to come, forcefully separated himself from TD's being and traveled to Mobius, the planet we live in now. I left shortly after to follow him, but unlike Bill I left behind an equally powerful clone of myself behind to take my place. You see, without all three personalities, TD's chaos would be too much for his mortal mind to handle, and it would destroy him. Literally. Thankfully, I didn't have to worry about giving him a new good personality; it apparently regenerated on its own. As for me and Bill, we used a powerful spell that gave us different memories and therefore a new life on Mobius." Red sighed before continuing. "My appearances actually reflect the neutrality I originally possessed. For you see, my other form, Infinite, is simply an alternate version of a villain back on Mobius. His appearance, power, and name are the same, but he was a jackal instead of a hedgehog. A secret I tried to keep hidden for so long..."

"O... kay," Joy said, "That was really more than I could handle but thanks to TD, this kind of stuff doesn't surprise that much anymore."

Bubble was still silent. Maybe she was still unable to process what she heard. "That kind of stuff... gives me a headache."

"Eh, you get used to it after awhile," Red remarked, "And that's coming from a guy who made friends with a literal demon, became the general of an army, adopted maybe two or three Pokemon, and eventually married a Siren. Trust me, I'm sometimes just as weirded out. as you may be."

"I think I get it," Bubble said while caressing her daughter's mane. Sunny smiled cutely and looked towards her mother and then towards Red.  
Joy finally giggled a little. Bubble looked towards her husband and smiled as well.

"Well, that's really... strange."

Red nodded. "It's also probably the best thing that ever happened to me. In a sense, I'm kinda glad that my life was filled with... odd experiences. Especially when it allowed me to see so many different people and creatures at one point." He chuckled. "But that's for another time." He looked at them curiously. "Tell me, is it true that ponies in Equestria hate it when you boop their nose?"

Bubble giggled and looked towards Joy to hear this. Joy chuckled as well at this.

"Well... as far as I know, ponies like to be booped," Joy replied.

"I love when my sweetie do this," She said.

"Even mother says it feels tickly," Joy added, "I don't boop anypony beside my family and friends." He chuckled. "Strangers may not like it." Then he picked his daughter in his one arm and booped her softly. She giggled cutely at this. "But as you see, ponies don't hate it at all."

Red seemed satisfied with the answer. "I was just curious. TD tends to do that with Twilight and his own children from time to time. So far, they seem to like it. Diana tells me that she thinks it is funny, while Twilight thinks it's cute. However, Rarity doesn't seem to share the same view most the time. So, we do it to her just to annoy her."

Red put on a perfect Rarity voice. "How dare you insult my dignity!"

The family chuckled as Red did this.

"I must say you're really hillarious." Joy remarked.

"Well, not all of my functions can be used just to harm, contrary to my creators' beliefs," Red stated. He then seemed to realize what he said. "Oh, forgot to tell you about that, didn't I?" He inhaled then exhaled sharply. It was then that Joy and Bubble noticed that it was the first breath he had taken since meeting him.

"Your creator?" Joy said. He was totally lost there.

 _The way he puts it, it seems like he was made by any other creature,_ Joy thought.

Red managed a small smile. "I wasn't born like others. I was created in a lab. I'm what the Mobians would probably classify as an 'artificial being,' due to my origins."

"You were made?" Joy thought, then shook his head in amazement and disbelief. Then he sighed and said, "I think I've seen enough..."

But before he could finish his sentence, he heard the snores of his daughter. He looked towards her and saw her sleeping beside Bubble. It was a really cute view.

"She must be bored by this stuff, she's a filly after all," Bubble chuckled.

Joy chuckled as well. "Red, I think that was enough chunk of information for today."

"Well in that case..." Red's voice changed again, perfectly mimicking an announcer's voice, "Goodnight audience! See you next week at this time on 'What's My Backstory?'" His voice then returned to normal and he made a low laugh. "I'll tell you more later on if you'd like."

"Thanks," Joy replied, "So, can you please...?"

Joy gestured to, Red clearly asking for privacy. Bubble couldn't help but blush at this as he said this. Red was silent for a moment, then a look of realization came over him.

"Oh! My apologies! Of course! Sorry. I'll leave you be."

He walked out of the room and took a right when he left. After a few seconds, they saw him pass the door again, this time headed to the left.

"Wrong way," he said to them bluntly as he disappeared a second time.

Bubble was silent for a moment, then giggled and closed the door and looked towards Joy. Joy was clearly lost in some deep thoughts. Bubble kissed his cheek to knock him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm..." He said, "What was that for?"

"You're looking awfully cute today, my sweetie. I think you could really use a little... snuggling," Bubble said with a little excitement in her tone.

"No Bubble!" He said suddenly and broke all her expectations for the moment at once, "I need to think about something."

Bubble was hurt badly by this reaction. "Why are you so selfish Prince Joy Star?"

Joy was taken aback at this. "Wha- why would you say this?"

"Because that's how true it is!" She snapped back at him, "The only thing you've been doing for several months is your training and training all the time." She was shedding tears now. "Like I don't exist. You don't even take time... for me now."

"Bubble!" Joy protested "That's because...!"

"I need no excuses! You know I always wished that after we were married, I'd have one or two foals myself. I almost abandoned my wish before Sunlight came..." she was almost crying "You snapped back at me twice today and I just..." She started crying "I need no protection, I just need you my sweetie... I need you to be that sweet colt I know once." She finished, before digging her head into her hooves and sniffling sadly.

Joy processed what she said and admitted that she was right. There's no excuse for staying away from family. Without saying a word, he picked her up in his arms so she was face to face with him. Soon, he kissed her. She felt a little better at this and she returned it with equal affection. As they broke the kiss, Bubble looked towards him with a joyous expression.

"I'm sorry my sweetheart," Joy said to her, "I hope it's still not too late for a snuggle."

"It never is," Bubble giggled as she hugged him tightly and he returned the hug. He made some sniffles.

"My love, I wish I could do something about the current situations. I could make them better," He said while caressing her back.

"Don't worry my sweetie, I know I'll be with you... through all of them," She sobbed softly, "Just be here with me now. Will you?" She asked while caressing her hoof on the back of his neck.

"I'll be with you... until the end of time," Joy replied.

"Then you'll never hear me complaining about the situations," She said as they both lay on the bed to their comfort. "Just close your eyes and relax my sweetie," She whispered to her husband while snuggling up to him even closer.

* * *

"For Celestia's sake Red, I think five of those was good enough!" Bill's voice scolded the next morning. If Celestia hadn't raised the sun earlier, he would've been the cause of the castle's wakeup call.

"Don't worry!" Red's voice called back, "I've done this before when I created Sonata's necklace! This thing is perfectly-"

Suddenly, a loud explosion noise was heard in the direction of the throne room, followed by a cry of frustration, but not from Red. That explosion was heard all over the castle. It was enough to wake up the couple. They both sat on the bed abruptly and looked towards each other.

"What was that?" Bubble asked.

"That came from the throne room!" Joy exclaimed, "We should go there!"

Bubble coughed and gestured him towards something. At this, Joy noticed his condition and said, "Oh, right."

 ****Joy's Pov****

As usual, Sunny came to the door a few moments after that. We took her along with us and headed towards the throne room. Once we arrived, we were relieved to see that no major damage had occurred, although it wasn't necessarily a pretty sight either.

Red was standing over a portable lab center of some kind, and had apparently had an experiment explode in his face from the looks of it... though how he was still alive was unclear. He also had a few crystal shards in his hands and arms. Bill was standing several feet away completely unharmed, although he was holding one shard in his hand as if he had caught it in midair when it fired in his direction. Above their heads on the ceiling, Tracker looked down and groaned. Screwball was also with him and she didn't look much better.

"Why is it always Dad or someone associated with him that wakes me up in this universe?" Tracker muttered. Screwball managed a short, tired giggle. Bill looked towards us and sighed.

"I tried to warn him," he said bluntly. Red simply looked to Bill sheepishly.

"Well, heh! That didn't work..."

"Wasn't a single TD already annoying enough?" Bubble sighed and giggled, "Now there's three of him."

"What were you trying to do anyways?" I asked him.

"He was trying to help me make a special gift for my own wife," Bill stated, "Emphasis on 'trying.' Thankfully, I came prepared."

He pulled out a rather lovely necklace from- actually, much like TD or Pinkie Pie or even Red recently, I'm not sure where he put it or how he had taken it out. The necklace was golden in color with a large heart-shaped ruby in the center. Engraved on it were two faces: one was Bill's face, the other a lovely female fox.

"Oh sure!" Red remarked, not sounding surprised, "Make three backup necklaces in case the first one doesn't succeed. You really have no faith in my alchemy skills, do you?"

"In regards to jewelry... nope," Bill agreed. Red just shook his head, then seemed to only just now notice the shards in his arms and hands. He sighed.

"For those that have weak constitutions or simply are innocent minded, I suggest looking away for a few seconds," he said aloud, and not-so-subtly gestured towards Sunny. I covered her eyes with my hand and looked towards them.

"Are we playing another game?" She asked.

"Yes sweetie, just give us a minute," My sweetheart stated.

Red nodded to us with approval, then pulled out each of the shards one by one, throwing them to the floor afterwards. A few of the wounds were bleeding a small bit afterwards, but he didn't seem worried about it. Then to our amazement, the wounds closed up and healed on their own accord, to which Red looked to us with a smile.

"Healing factor," he explained, "I literally heal from any wounds I suffer over time. I'm also completely immune to explosions, given that I can explode myself."

"Hence the reason he's still alive while working at his lab," Bill added, throwing down the shard in his own hand.

"That's... good..." I was really lost for words now, "But I don't think the idea of getting hurt really fascinates me anymore," I said, removing my hand from Sunny's eyes.

"Now it's my turn!" She said, flying behind me and covering my eyes with her hooves. I giggled at this.

"You're really fast my dear filly."

Bubble also giggled at this. Then she spoke to the two nearby.

"Sorry for that..." Bubble said, "Being parents, we're usually more focused on our daughter."

"It's understandable," Red said bluntly, as he started brewing up another potion of some sorts at his lab, "When Serena came into the family, I was forced to take a lot of time off just to spend time with my little girl. But I loved every moment of it."

"It is a lovely feeling, isn't it?" Bill remarked, "I remember when Flurry and I first met, I was almost like a second father to her. In truth, half the time I treated her like the daughter I never had."

"You may as well have been a second father," Flurry's voice suddenly spoke up, as she entered from another entryway. Upon seeing her, Bill smiled warmly at her.

"Hey Flurry!" I said as Sunny removed her hooves from my eyes and came back into my lap.

"I won!"

"Good morning!" Bubble said, "Hope you'd a relaxing nap here."

"Thank you. I did," Flurry said politely. She stretched a little and then looked up at the ceiling. She chuckled at the cute sight of Tracker and Screwball.

"You two really do make a sweet couple," she called up. Neither replied, although Screwball did seem to smile a bit when she said that.

"They certainly do," Bill replied, giving his friend another hug, which the alicorn returned with both a hoof and a wing.

"If you weren't already married Bill, I'd be gagging right now," Red said aloud. Bill made no reply, but instead a wrench nearby levitated into the air of it's own accord and dropped onto Red's head.

"OW!" he shouted, although he didn't seem to be too hurt.

 ****end of Joy's POV****

* * *

 **In a different realm...**

"Here," Dark figure said as he transferred some kind of energy into the mirror, using some kind of channeling device, "That was the last chunk of magical energy we had, my master." He smirked, "This should be enough to let you out from this cell."

"It's about time," Nameless said from behind, "These new friends of TD's may prove to be a hassle to deal with." He growled angrily, "I've seen that power which that Infinite fellow used, and I'm afraid there isn't much we can use to counter it."

"Once my master is free," He chuckled evilly, "No one will be able to stand against him."

"I hope you're right," Nameless stated bluntly, "Because this time, they mean business."

* * *

"I wanma go to park too!" Sunny shouted "I wanna go now!"

"Alright sweetie, but you need to finish yoir fruit salad first," Joy said, "Otherwise, how will you grow up to be an elegant mare like your mother?"

"Hmm... okay daddy," She said and started to munch on her fruit salad. After she was finished, she looked towards her father hopefully. "Can we go now?"

"Of course we can, my sunshine. Let us take to you to the park now," Bubble said and headed towards the park where TD and the group went a while ago. Joy bought her an ice cream on their way to park. In a while they reached at the park. Already, things were going down.

"Hey Red! Heads up!" TD shouted as he tossed something at Red. They had apparently gotten into a game of catch.

"Huh?" the hedgehog asked, before getting smacked in the face by a large sphere of metal. "OW! Watch it!"

"I said 'head's up.' I think that's an obvious indicator that something's coming," TD remarked. Nearby, under the shade of a tree, Twilight chuckled, then returned to reading a book she had brought with her from the Castle of Friendship's library. Noticing them approach, Twilight waved a hoof.

"Hey you guys!" Red shouted, standing up as if he hadn't suffered a single injury, "What's up?"

Joy also waved his hand towards them. "Hey Red!"

Joy approached the group while Bubble along with Sunny went under the same shady tree where Twilight was sitting.

"Mind if I sit here?" She asked.

"Not at all," Twilight answered, "Although be warned; it may start raining a vampire and a swirly-eyed pony soon."

She giggled and pointed up above her in the tree, where Tracker and Screwball seemed to be having fun swinging around on some of the branches. Tracker was actually using his tail most of the time,m which looked rather impressive. He was in his bat-like form to do so, but the shade of the tree prevented him from suffering any harm from the sun. Noticing Sunny, he gave a friendly smile, which was clear to see even in that form.

"Hi there!" he called, giving a wave of his hoof.

Sunny looked upwards towards the vampire pony. "Hi," she said as she waved her hoof towards him. "Thish... looks fun," She said as she saw him playing in the tree. Screwball looked down as well and gave a friendly smile.

"You wanna try? I promise we won't let you fall."

Sunny looked towards her mother at this and spread her wings, seemingly asking for permission.

"I don't know..." Bubble said.

"Pleassse..?" Bubble looked towards Screwball at this who nodded in reassurance.

"Alright sweetie, you can go," Bubble said.

"Yay!" She shouted, and that was the first time she raised her voice that high. After this, she flew towards Tracker and Screwball. The two chuckled at her enthusiasm, then Tracker gently helped her find a good spot to try it out. At the same time, Screwball caused a form of a safety net to appear underneath her.

"Go right ahead," Tracker said to her gently, "And if you start to fall, I'll catch you. Okay? Now, let's see you try..."

She looked down and then in front of her. Then she flapped her wings and started to fly. She wasn't flying very fast, but was doing well for her very young age.

"Yay," she was very excited as she was hopping branch to branch, much to her amusement.

"Careful!" Bubble said in worry, "Careful sweetie!"

"Don't worry, I got her," Tracker said.

"Trust me, she's safer with them than a supervisor," Twilight added as she sat beside Bubble, "Although I agree, it doesn't help lessen your worry much."

Bubble sighed and looked towards Twilight.

"Yes, you're right," she remarked, "She's one of the best things that ever happened to me and I'm glad to be a mother, even though..."

She silenced herself as she realized what she was about to say. She smiled as she shook her head lightly.

 _Stop saying this again and again Bubble. She's your daughter and you ARE her mother. Aren't you happy for this?_ She said to herself in her mind.

"I AM thankful for this," She suddenly said aloud, surprising the Alicorn in the process. Twilight looked to her, then giggled a bit.

"I'm guessing you're experiencing the same thing I felt we we adopted Diana." She sighed to herself in memory of the event. "She was the only survivor of an attack on her village, still practically an infant. She had nowhere to go, so William and I decided to raise her as our own. It was at first rather... obvious to other ponies, but as time dragged on, they grew to accept her as one of our own. And you know what?" Twilight looked to Bubble with a happy smile. "I'm glad we took her in, and I'm proud to call her my daughter. The way we see it and the way she sees it is like this: we may not be her biological parents, but we're still her mom and dad. And that never changes."

"It feels really good to hear that Twilight," Bubble said, then sighed to herself. "Can I ask you something Twilight?"

"Sure," Twilight replied, setting her book aside. "What's on your mind?"

"Am I..?" She sighed. "Am I a bad mother... if I still want a foal of my own?" She asked in a mix of guilt and confusion.

Twilight gave her a caring expression and placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"I wouldn't say that you are," she said reassuringly, "Back home, Pinkie Pie and her husband, Chuck, both adopted somepony when they though they couldn't have foals of their own. But when they did have their own foals, it didn't change anything about their current standings as parents." She smiled a little, "As far as I'm concerned, you're not a bad mother to wish for your own foals. You're still a mother either way, and if you truly love Sunny as much as she loves you, then that shouldn't change anything about you."

Bubble looked towards Twilight for a while, then she smiled and hugged Twilight with gratitude as some tears left her eyes.

"Thank you so much for saying this Twilight," She said, "You don't know how guilty I was feeling for this thought." She sighed in reliefe and released Twilight. "I really love Sunny so much, but I felt guilty as I thought that maybe I don't love her like a real mother, as I still wish badly for my own foals." She wiped her tears, "It feels really better to know that I'm not a selfish mother."

Twilight smiled back. "Glad I could help!"

"Look out below! Alicorn and fox coming in for a landing!" a voice shouted up in the sky above. In a short while, Flurry and Bill landed softly on the ground before the group. Flurry had been flying with her wings, but Bill seemed to be floating through the air by some other means. As he landed, it was noticed that his gloves had been glowing a bit while flying, but stopped when he landed. Bubble seemed to notice this. She was about to ask, but she let it be that way. She already had been told that he was a part of TD, or something like that, so she wasn't too surprised. Instead she said, "Good flight, sometime I wish I also had wings." She then looked towards the tree where she saw her daughter playing with her two new friends.

"You don't always need wings to fly," Bill stated, "Starlight Glimmer back home can fly using a spell, and she doesn't have wings."

"Uh, Bill, I don't they've gotten that far yet in this Equestria," TD warned.

"Oh..." Bill said and left it at that.

"LookoutTwilightI'mgonnacrash!" a red blur shouted as it rushed in the direction of the tree. Twilight sighed and made her horn glow, causing the blur to turn around and run the other direction, crashing into another tree instead. The blur, of course, was Red. He rubbed his head as he lay on the ground, stars appearing above his head as if he was from a cartoon movie.

"Look at all the pretty stars..." he said.

"Red, no need for the dramatics," Bill called, before turning to Bubble, "He's fine. He crashes into things much harder than that... and shatters them in half upon impact."

"It's good to know that he's fine." Bubble replied as Blazing Star landed there from the sky.

"That was really something!" He exclaimed, "I wonder why I never use this form for having fun like this, because this feels really... good."

"That's why having fun is neccessary," Bubble stated, "Hmmm...!"

"I know, and I'm glad I have you to advise me all the time," Joy giggled.

"Yeah, and you should listen to me," Bubble giggled.

"Don't get too carried away though, or you'll end up like Red," TD joked.

"Har har har!" Red called, standing up. "I forgot how to laugh."

"If that were true, we'd be in trouble," Bill stated.

Just then, Red started to sneeze and Bill and TD both groaned.

"Stand back everyone," Bill stated bluntly, as Flurry placed up a shield around herself and Bill.

"Screwy, child protection," TD said. It was apparently a code word, because Screwball nodded and a flash of light occurred temporarily on Sunny.

"ACHOO!"

Red sneezed, but at the same time an explosion occurred from him as well. When the smoke cleared, he was completely unharmed. The others were unharmed as well, though for TD and Joy it was unclear how, until TD snapped his fingers.

"Invisible barrier," he said bluntly.

"What's up with his sneeze?" Joy said in surprise as he looked towards Red.

"We're actually not sure why he does that," Bill stated, "Although I'm willing to bet it's on purpose, considering that he can explode on purpose without the sneeze."

"Is it okay now?" Screwball called. TD nodded and the flash returned momentarily around Sunny.

"This means you could have avoided this if you wanted to?" Joy demanded, looking towards Red somewhat angrily.

Red giggled. "Maybe. Or maybe it happens without my doing."

"Yeah, it's one of the few mysteries about him we have yet to solve," Bill remarked.

"Well, it kinda makes sense if he does," TD replied, "He's my neutral personality, so technically he's on no one's side. If 'he' is even the right term to label him with."

"I just prefer to be labeled as a male," Red answered TD.

"That's just weird." Joy muttered, "I don't wanna go in details on that topic," Joy said as he heard the giggles of his daughter. He looked up in the tree where he saw that Sunny was playing along Screwball and Tracker.

"Hi daddy," she waved her hoof towards her father. Then he looked towards Bubble.

"Relax my sweetie, she's completely safe with them," Bubble said as she too looked towards her daughter.

"I'm just saying, didn't you once think of being a female?" TD asked Red.

"If I did, I wouldn't be married," Red stated, "But as a creature with technically no gender-"

"Red, I think he gets it," Bill said sternly. Flurry giggled while Twilight just rolled her eyes.

"At least Bill's the more sensible of the three," Twilight muttered.

"I totally agree." Joy said "And please can we talk about something else cause you know... I'm not used to this kind of stuff."

All of a sudden, a green flame appeared and transformed into a scroll with a red seal on it. It fell on Joy's head, indicating that this was for him.

"Oh," he said as he unrolled the scroll, "It's from Ponyville," He stated happily, "The Cake Twins' birthday is coming in three days and Pinkie has invited us along with Sunny."

Hearing this, Sunny came down from the tree and stood beside her father.

"We're going to Ponyville then?" She asked excitedly.

"I hope so my sunshine," Joy replied.

"Yay!" She exclaimed.

"Yay!" Red called, his eyes turning into cute looking puppy eyes and sparkles appearing around his form. TD chuckled while Bill just sighed.

"I still have no idea how he does that other than Fourth Wall breaking," the fox stated.

Just then, Red stopped getting his expression of happiness and instead looked as if he had felt something... disturbing. But before he could say anything, TD shot him a warning glance. Red was about to protest, but then heard Bill's voice telepathically in his mind.

 _"Not a sound, Red, or I'll cut you to ribbons!"_

Red nodded to them silently. Joy looked towards Red for a moment, then he again focused on his daughter as she was exclaiming her joy for visiting Ponyville once again.

 _The Twins must have grown much since the last time we saw them._ He thought.

"So," TD said aloud, maybe too loudly, "We're off to see some twins again, huh?"

Twilight gave him a strange look. She seemed to be catching on to something with him, but he wasn't letting her in on it.

"If something doesn't try to ruin it, then yes," Joy said happily, as he looked towards his daughter, "That'd be fun."

"Famous last words," Red muttered. This earned a smack on the head from Bill, a slap from TD, and a blast of magic from Twilight. The last one made Red slam back into the same tree he had crashed into earlier.

"As someone who can't be killed by such means, don't you think that was a bit overkill?" Tracker asked, as he and Screwball dropped from the tree.

"I agree," Flurry added, "Though I'm impressed Aunt Twilight. You beat me to him, and I'm the closer of the two."

Twilight simply smiled and put her book away as she stood to her feet.

Joy made a painful expression as he saw Red being beat up and blasted to a tree.

"Ow! That was a little too much for a 'harmless' joke, don't you think?" He asked.

"For a hedgehog that can't be killed, it's pretty funny to see him smacking into the trees," Bubble giggled, "No offense."

"Nah, it's cool!" Bill said with a chuckle, "It is fun to see him as the slapstick."

"And for the record, I can be killed," Red stated, not lifting himself off the ground yet, "In fact, I've died at least ten times in my life."

"Don't ask how he comes back; even I don't know that answer," Bill stated.

"I know it, but I'm not telling!" TD replied, almost childlike.

"I'm fine with this," Joy said, but then he felt something chilling down his spine all of sudden. He vision blurred and he came upon his knees.

-Joy's vision-

 _He saw a giant dark face with red eyes looking straight towards him. Then all of sudden a terrifying voice erupted from this form._

 _"Hear me, and hear me carefully you insolent bug!" It said as flames were blowing out with every word, "I'm coming for you and I'll have my revenge upon you. There'll be no one standing against me ever again! You and your world will become an example for those who stood against the wrath of Ornos."_

 _Then suddenly everything around him went black._

-vision ended-

Joy was lying on the ground unconcious as others were trying to wake him up.

"Joy!" Bubble shouted, "What happened to you honey?" But he didn't reply.

"Daddy~" Sunny was sobbing "Wake up!"

"Joy Star," TD said in a commanding voice, "AWAKE."

"Ten bucks it won't work," Red stated to Bill.

"You're on," Bill answered, not tearing his gaze away.

"Guys! Not now!" Twilight scolded. Flurry also glared at Bill, who shrugged defensively.

"Not again," Screwball moaned, with Tracker beside her, "At this rate, they might as well have a bell around their necks."

All of sudden, Princess Celestia appeared there in a flash of golden aura.

"Is everypony here?" She asked before noticing Joy who was lying unconsciously on the ground, "I believe I..." She looked towards her son who was lying there unconscious. Her mother instincts took hold of her at this, as her expression saddened all of sudden. "

My Joy!" She said nuzzling him carefully, "Holy Creator! My son, what happened to him?"

"It all happened so suddenly," Only Bubble could gather some courage to speak before the upset mother, "He just fell unconscious." She said while nudging him with her hoof.

TD laid a head on Joy's head, then suddenly jerked it back.

"Oh no..." he said.

"What?" Twilight asked him.

"He's free!" TD exclaimed, "The gate guardians are trying to warn us! Joy's enemy... he's free! And he's coming for us."

"The Gate Guardians?" Bubble was confused as well as Celestia, but there were more serious matters to be concerned about now. The Evil One was free once again.

"Nooo!" Suddenly, Joy woke up with a shout, "He's coming back. He's coming here."

"We know," Bill said bluntly.

"Now can I tell him?!" Red demanded.

"Huh?" Joy said as he was suddenly hugged by his daughter and wife.

"You're alright!" Sunny exclaimed. Joy smiled, rubbing his hand on her head and soon noticed that his mother was also there.

"Mom," he said, "When did you come here?" Celestia looked towards him sadly. Then he looked towards Red and asked again.

"Were you going to tell me something?"

"Well..." Red looked to the others, then sighed and said, "We sensed an upcoming attack. From the one in your visions no less. And, it shouldn't be to long now before he comes out of the sky or whatever he does."

"So we should be ready?" Joy said "Bubble, take Sunny and go back to palace with mom."

"You're coming back to the palace as well young colt," Celestia commanded him.

"Me?"

"Yes, you're coming back with me." In her tone, worry and sadness could be felt at the same time. "William and his friends can handle this."

"You can't force me Mom," Joy said crossing his arms.

"Technically I can! I'm your mother and I command you to go back to the palace."

"Hmph... no I will not leave my friends on their own!" He said and looked away.

Celestia understood that she couldn't force him to go back to the palace with her. She sighed and spread her wings.

"Okay... my Joy, but first you've to give me a huggie." She sounded sweet all of sudden. Joy smiled and went towards her for a hug. He knew that his mother would understand. He hugged her as Celestia wrapped him with her wings.

"I love you mom."

"I got you son," She said while her horn started to glow, "SORRY WILLIAM, I WON'T LOSE HIM!" She whined loudly, "HOPE YOU'LL FORGIVE ME!"

And all of sudden, in a flash of golden light Joy, Bubble, and Sunny disappeared.

TD and his friends and family were silent, then:

"Oh come on!" Red shouted, "That was so painfully obvious!"

"Oh, shut up!" Bill shouted back.

"Guys! FOCUS!" TD shouted, using a command spell as well by accident. They all stopped and looked to him. He let out a sigh.

"Prepare yourselves, for he is here. You keep them busy. Leave Tia to me." He looked down to Twilight and the two Mobians could've sworn that he had tears in his eyes.

"Whatever happens..." he started, but she shushed him by getting on her hind legs and pulling him into a loving embrace.

"I know," she said softly. "Be careful."

"You too," TD replied. He gave her a quick kiss, then released her and disappeared in a burst of smoke.

"So... what now?" Red asked.

Just then, the sky opened up and a large portal was seen emptying troops down upon the city. Bill sighed as he drew his sword.

"Now, we fight."

* * *

Joy still was in the embrace with his mother as they appeared in the palace. Bubble and Sunny appeared as well at a distance. Joy pulled himself out of the hug and looked towards his mother angrily.

 ****Celestia's POV****

I knew he would not like it. I knew he'd be angry at me for doing this, but at least in this way he'd be safe from danger. And I could hear him yelling at me all he wanted for what I did, but I could never risk my son's life.

"Why mom?!" He asked.

"Because I want to protect you," I replied "I'm a mother. I can't just stand there let you fight the one who wants to kill you."

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO PROTECT ME!" Joy said.

"I HAVE TO!" I shouted in my royal Canterlot voice, then softer, "I have to protect my son. And it's okay if you don't love me anymore." I sobbed. "You can hate me all you want, but at least you'll be safe." I sobbed even more heavily. "I don't wanna lose you."

"I don't..." Joy didn't comple his line and sighed while looking away towards Bubble and Sunny. He went towards his personal room in the palace, leaving us. Not long after, TD appeared in the room looking just as bad.

"Okay, I've known you to do some cheeky stuff in both Equestrias, but THIS?!" he shouted, "You should not have pulled a stunt like that!"

"Why?!" I asked him "I'm his mother and ruler of this Equestria. I'll do whatever it takes to protect him."

I was already terrified to think about how many ponies they'd killed in recent years and what could happen if I let him fight.

"You can't control his life! Even if you're scared for him!" TD protested, "Tia, locking him up won't solve the problem. One way or another, that thing is gonna come for him! And despite your efforts, he won't let a simple grounding get in his way!"

"Then I'll stand against him," I replied to him, "I've been protecting Joy since he was a foal." Then suddenly realization hit me. William was painfully right. I looked down and then towards him.

"I..." I didn't know what to say, "I can't..." I started to overwhelmed by emotions of sorrow and hopelessness. "I afraid to lose him William!"

I finally decided to tell him about my vision.

"I'm concerned. I saw a dream a few days ago. I saw my son... dead in the hands of a dark monster." I was terrified as I remembered that vision. "He then..."

I was unable to tell what I saw after that and started to shiver with terror. TD smiled reassuringly, then brought me into a friendly embrace. He whispered, "It's okay, Tia. I know how you feel for him. You see... I feel a similar fear about Twilight and my own children."

"What I should do now?" I asked him, "I don't know if he'll ever forgive me."

TD laughed at that and released me enough to look me in the eyes. Unlike the majority of his friends and family, he was actually tall enough to stand at eye-level with me.

"I've seen or heard about many unforgivable deeds, and this wouldn't be one of them. If Joy loves you, and I know he does, then he'll forgive you. Maybe not instantly, but he will forgive you. Sometimes, all that's needed is time and reconciliation."

I nodded and went towards Joy's room along with TD. I opened the door and saw that he was lying on the bed while Sunny was sitting beside him playing with a doll. Bubble was just sitting beside both of them. Joy and Bubble both had an expression of sadness and anger upon their faces.

"You go there and tell him that he's allowed to join his friends in the fight," I said with a really heavy heart.

"No," TD said to me, "As nice as that would be... I think he needs to hear it from more than just me." He then gave me a supportive smile. "But, if it'll help, I'll be right with you the whole way."

I nodded and went inside along with TD and looked towards Joy. "Joy," I said "My Joy..." He looked towards me but didn't said anything. "I want you to know that I've thought twice about my decision." I said to him while trying to process to what I wanted to speak, "I allow you to go there and help your friends."

He looked towards me and was stunned for a second. Then he looked beside me and saw William standing there.

"So," he said "Let's go William." He didn't even reply to what I said.

"Take care of him," I sobbed uncontrollably once again.

"Princess, I need you to take care of Sunlight," Bubble said to me, "Because wherever Joy'll go I'll be standing beside him."

"Thanks Bubble," I said and touched my horn with hers and my horn glowed brightly.

"What was... that?" She asked as her eyes shone brightly.

"Just take care of my son as you've been doing since he was a little colt," I said while wiping my tears, "Now go!"

TD looked to me with a determined look.

"I'll look after him for you Tia, even at the cost of my life. I promise. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

He flashed me one last smile, then turned to Joy.

"Ready for the grand finale?" he asked.

"Ready!" Joy replied.

"Ready!" Bubble said.

TD nodded, then made a handclap of some kind and with a loud, "Alacazam!" they disappeared.

 ****end of Celestia's POV****

* * *

The fight had actually been going better than TD had expected when they arrived. Bill and Red both were working side by side to fight off an army of the robots and humans that had dropped in. Their fighting styles were stark contrasts of each other; for while Bill used his sword and seemed to take a professional approach, Red instead went for unarmed combat and his fighting style was rather unorthodox: literally dancing in and out of harms way, exploding among a crowd, or even making himself look like a complete idiot while still managing to take out scores of the enemy. Twilight was holding off a few magic-wielding robots and humans with flying colors. TD felt a twinge of pride and joy as he watched his wife reduce the robots to dust, and made the humans' magic look like play. Screwball and Tracker were also causing considerable chaos in the sky as Flurry fluttered near them to lend her own support. But what worried TD wasn't the fact that they were winning or that it seemed to easy. What worried him was this:

Where was the Nameless One? Or even worse, his friends?

"Where is he?" Joy asked, "Where is Ornos?"

* * *

 **A little ways from the battle field...**

"It's time we attacked them ourselves," Dark figure said, as he started to approach the fight.

* * *

"Ornos?" TD asked, then "Oh, you mean the one from your visions. I'm... not sure."

Just then, a familiar figure dropped from an enemy dropship, wielding all four of his swords and poised for the kill. TD growled, but just then Red came out from the crowd of enemies, as if thrown. Thankfully, he was caught in midair by Bill Prower, who seemed to be using a form of telekinesis. Only his seemed more connected with his mind. Nameless laughed.

"So, this is the pitiful resistance to Ornos?" he scoffed. "I expected a challenge."

"Famous last words," Red stated.

Then all of sudden, the Dark Figure appeared on the battle field in a burst of lightning. He looked around and then shouted, "Where are you hiding boy? My master commands you to come out!"

"Shh!" Red called to him in a whispered tone, causing the battle to pause for a moment, "You're gonna wake someone up if you shout like that!"

TD fought the urge to laugh at the hedgehog's remark while Bill just stared the figure down, his sword in hand.

"You insolent rat!" Dark Figure rushed towards him almost as fast as light and exposed his giant claws. "You'll die for insulting me!"

But before the Dark Figure could even reach Red, Bill moved into his path and with equal speeds parried the figure's attack and then landed a well-aimed kick that sent him back in among the ranks of the warriors that had come with him. Nameless chuckled.

"So much for that idea, huh?" he asked the Dark Figure.

Dark Figure chuckled at this.

"Too much pride is not good for health." He looked around once again and soon noticed that his target was standing with the same mare who'd made him crawl on the ground with fear. But now, he wasn't scared at all.

"I'll first have my revenge on her!"

It exposed his claws once again and went for Bubble. However, this time the Nameless One joined the charge. Even so, it didn't seem to matter. TD and Bill both raised their hands, and both villains were suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force. Bill's gloves seemed to be glowing a red color in certain patterns. TD and Bill then made a shoving motion with their hands as one, and the two villains flew backwards and into the ranks of their warriors once again.

"You're not making very splendid progress," Red said while laughing, almost doubling over as he did. Bill looked over to TD with a sideways glance, then nodded as a smile appeared on both of their faces. They then turned back to the villains and their determined expressions returned.

"The only way you're getting to either of them is if you can get through us," Bill said calmly, getting into a state that looked very much like a state of meditation.

"We said 'if,' not 'when,' mind you," TD added with a smirk.

High above the battle field, a being was observing the fight through another ship. It smirked as it saw the battle raging on among the army of robots and humans and warriors of this land. Soon it noticed the one he was looking for. But along with him, there was standing another creature. That creature was one the worlds natives called a unicorn and definitely a female. He frowned to see her.

"You served me good my servent!" It spoke. "I'll get my revenge on boy by myself by finishing his life along with Phoenix mages last legacy."

It jumped from there into the battle field. As it approached, near lightning raged from the sky as the being jumped down onto the battle field. The shockwave was strong enough to break down all the robots in a range of several yards and was even felt as a shock by TD and the gang. When everything was clear, TD and the others could see the evil creature. To their surprise, it was also a human, but aged around seventy apparently. It had less fair skin and brown hairs. It was wearing leather jeans and a wolf hide. It motioned its hands to and all of a sudden, a straight path to the warriors was cleared of any robot, human, or any other creature in his way.

"I've waited so long for this moment," It said, "Now I shall have my revenge upon all of your ancestors by finishing you and the bloodline of the Phoenix mages along with you!" It said as it stepped towards the gang, leaving a burned dark spot beneath his every step. The Nameless One looked to the figure with an angered look.

"Watch it!" he snarled, "That equipment wasn't cheap, ya know! It took me many years to gather the required-"

"Oh, shut it!" Tracker called from above, as he and Screwball landed beside TD and his group. All of his friends and family stood beside him too. Red looked like he was a fan of some kind, staring at the figure with awe.

"Whoa!" Red exclaimed, "Now THAT'S an entrance!"

"Eh! I've seen better," Bill said to Red. TD looked to the figure before him.

"Well, I'd say that you're the most intimidating figure I've seen, but that would be a lie," he stated. "May I ask as a former villain, who are you?"

"Me? I'm the one known by many names, such as The Ruthless, The Tyrant, The Beast, and many more names by my enemies," It stated while he kept stepping forward towards the gang. "But you'll know me by my real name, King Ornos."

"Where's your kingdom then, mighty king?" Tracker asked sarcastically.

"Tracker, don't be rude," Red said with a serious tone, "The man's trying to introduce himself. Why don't we do the same?"

Bill looked to him. "You can't be serious." Red's expression said otherwise. Bill sighed then looked to the figure.

"Prower. Bill Prower, otherwise known as Experiment #500 of Project Guardian. I am the Guardian of Mobius, and friend to these ponies."

Red then stepped forward and acted in a "polite" manner.

"Red the Hedgehog, at your service! Artificial life-form, a weapon capable of galactic-wide destruction, and Commander-in-chief of the armies of the Royal Fighters. Also a friend."

TD stepped forward next and chuckled. "I haven't done this intro in a long time." He clapped his hands together, and his image suddenly transformed into half-darkness, half-light. The light dimmed around them and his voice was amplified several times above normal. TD smirked as he spoke, his voice turning into three voices at once: evil, joyful, and neutral.

"I'm the Master of Fire, the Lord of Chaos, and Time Lord of Evil. I'm the darkest day, yet the brightest morning. I'm the Chief of the Tik Tak Tribe, the Cousin of Dragons, the Employer of Villains, and Guardian of Existence! I can be your best friend or your worst nightmare!" Dark dragon wings sprouted out of TD's back, and he spread them to full length, casting an intimidating shadow over his enemies. "I. Am. The Terror of Dimensions! Face me, and know what true magic is!"

"I'm known as Prince Joy Star of Canterlot, the only son of Princess Celestia," Joy said with a smirk, "But you already know who I am."

"Princess Bubble Heart!" Bubble said, "Also the most melodious singer of Equestria."

"Very well! Very well!" Ornos chuckled while clapping his hands, "I'm glad to know your names, especially you boy." He chuckled again. "At least I know my prey's name. After you, it's pink unicorn's turn. I promise I'll make your tombs side by side if you give up now."

"And what makes you think we will?" Red asked, acting like he wasn't taking the guy seriously at all.

Bill smirked himself as he added, "The thing about us is that we made a little promise to ourselves. If we're going down, it's with a fight."

"And if we go down, we're taking you and your friends with us," TD finished, his eyes flashing for a second.

Joy and Bubble looked towards each other with determination and nodded, then looked towards Ornos.

"We've got to say 'no' as well," Bubble said, as she wasn't scared of him either, "We're not cowards like your sidekicks."

"What my wife said!" Joy said proudly

"So, that's how it's gonna be." Ornos said while shaking his head and looked down. "Well, I tried myself."

He motioned with his hand once again, shooting a shockwave which sent all of them flying away away from Joy and his wife.

"Now, where were we?"

Joy who was in his Blazing Star form raged with anger and attacked and did an exploding force field attack in hope to stop him. But sadly it was failed.

Noticing his condition, Bill looked to Red and shouted, "Red! Activate the Phantom Ruby!"

Red closed his eyes and a massive shockwave of red energy erupted from him, pushing back Ornos and keeping him away from Joy. However, once they could see him again, his image had changed. Gone was Red the Hedgehog, and in his place stood Infinite, floating above the ground as the Phantom Ruby hummed with power. Red spoke, and as before, his voice had changed into that of Infinite's as well.

"Well, that was unexpected, but not good enough," Infinite said, "You'll have to try harder than that to keep us away."

He suddenly was forced to block an incoming attack, as the Nameless One rushed in at him, striking wildly. He actually managed to lay a few hits on Infinite, but none actually penetrated his flesh. Infinite managed to pry himself away, and stared the robot master in the eyes.

"A rematch, is it?" he asked.

"What do you think?" Nameless said bluntly, as he readied his weapons.

"Fine," Infinite stated, "I'll teach you fear, then pain, and then... well, at least the fear and pain will end."

He charged up with energy again and struck at the robot master, taking the fight away from Joy for the time being, their clash seeming to echo throughout the city. Bill meanwhile had managed to rush up to where he had been standing before and drew his sword once more as he stared Ornos and his minion down.

"Who's next?" he challenged.

"You'll regret this!" Ornos announced, before shrouding himself with dark purple aura. In a second, he transformed into a new form. Now he was looking more like a beast than a human. His hand turned into razor sharp claws. His toothy grin was showing his large K-nines. "Let's see how well you'll face me now!"

Saying this, he summoned two battle axes in both of his claw-like hands and rushed towards Bill, while his minion went towards Joy and Bubble. Bubble raged with anger and came in front of Joy. Her cutie mark shone brightly as she fired a powerful attack at the Figure, throwing him several yards away. Dark Figure, Joy and even Bubble herself were surprised that she could do such a strong attack. Then she remembered something and looked towards in the direction of Palace.

"Thanks Mom," she said in regards to Celestia.

Meanwhile, Bill was holding out rather well against Ornos. His sword moved like a blur, and he never missed a beat. At one point, he even managed to move faster than Ornos could react and landed several well-aimed sword strikes at the evil human. On top of that, Bill also seemed to be using something he hadn't revealed to Joy and Bubble until now: psychic powers. He threw objects with telekinesis, caused fire to appear out of nowehere before manipulating it with pyrokinesis, and a few times even seemed to be predicting many of Ornos's moves before they were even executed. At one point, Bill dodged an attack just an exact second before Ornos had acted, then landed several blows that forced the being to back away. Bill tightened the grip on his sword and growled.

"You're... strong," Ornos said and noticed Bill's condition. It looks like he was started to feel... exhausted a little. He understood the situation and said, "What's the matter? Tired already?" He chuckled while swinging his axes in his hands. "As for me, I've just been warming up." He said and crossed his axes, launching a x-shaped slash towards Bill.

"Nice try, fool creature!" Dark Figure exclaimed, "But I can't be killed this way!" He charged towards the couple once again. This time, Joy was the one to block the attack.

"Then we'll keep pushing you away as long as we can!" Joy said and launched him away from them once again. A black figure suddenly flew in the sky above as if shoved by another creature, and the Nameless soon reappeared on the roof of a building nearby, continuing his fight with Infinite. Infinite shook his head while holding a hand to his mask, then removed it to address the robot master.

"Well, you've certainly improved since our last encounter," he admitted, then with more confidence, "But you will still lose."

Another burst of energy erupted from him, causing the Nameless One to stumble over nothing. Two spheres of energy appeared in Infinite's hands and he tossed them at the four-armed robot, who couldn't deflect them in time. He hit the ground hard and an AI was heard saying., "Warning! Critical damage!" The Nameless quickly pressed a button on his arm and disappeared.

"As I predicted," Infinite scoffed, "You weren't even worth the effort to finish off."

Infinite looked down to where the others were fighting and released another burst of energy, which caused two different reactions. Over near Ornos and Bill, a brick wall suddenly materialized on top of the axes, making them get stuck with little chance of retrieving them. Near Joy and Bubble, the Dark Figure suddenly found gravity working in reverse for him. While he was still airborne, Infinite flew over to him with lightning speed, landing a blow that sent him flying several yards away and into a building. If there were any ponies around at this time, they had wisely evacuated the area.

"Big mistake!" Ornos said as he noticed that he was unable to remove his axes from the wall. He growled with anger as the axes disappeared. Then he came down to the earth while smirking to himself. He suddenly stretched his arms to an unbelievable length and grabbed his servant, placing him in front of him.

"Master! What are you doing?" Dark Figure asked.

Ornos didn't replied and kept his grip on his minion.

"You served us well." Saying this he started to channel the being's energy inside him. Dark Figure shrieked in agony as he did this. In a while Figure was gone and all there left was left only the cloak. "Farewell."

In a speck of second, he started to grow in size, collecting evil aura from the robots and humans around him. They fell on the ground whether dead or unconscious it was unconfirmed.  
He continued to grow until he was as large as Dragon Lord Torch or even bigger. It chuckled and grabbed Bill in his hand, smashing him to ground. However, as soon as he did, another burst of energy erupted and Bill suddenly teleported out of harms way. A shockwave of energy struck Ornos as TD himself floated up into the sky to face him.

"THAT'S your plan?" he asked, "Make yourself a bigger target?"

With this, he unleashed a flurry of energy bursts into Ornos, soon causing the giant of a monster to fall to the ground. A burst of energy erupted from the Phantom Ruby and chains suddenly formed on the giant, pinning him to the ground.

"Who's laughing now?" Infinite asked, as he floated beside TD.

"You asked for this, you arrogant brat!" Ornos shouted with a voice which made everything shiver around him. "Now you all will suffer the wrath of Ornos!"

Saying this, he started to make movements. The chains around him started to vibrate, causing an earthquake. That was enough to surprise TD and the others.

"I'm having a really bad feeling about this," Bubble spoke up.

"That's not good. Not good at all!" Joy exclaimed.

 ****Bubble's Pov****

I was a little worried now. Even though he was pinned to ground, it didn't look like that those chains were going to hold him long enough. Suddenly, with some loud ear-hurting metal crunching sounds, the links in the chains broke, freeing the Evil One once again. He was free, but instead of attacking he stood and crossed his arms in front of his face. Then darkness started to shroud him as we heard what he was saying.

"Awake, Beast of Darkness!"

In a moment, everything around us become dark and cold. We looked towards Ornos and I swear I was never more terrified in my whole life. Not even when that robot was trying to kill me. It was a giant black wolf with red eyes and bloody fangs. It roared upon us, as we felt his coldness and cruelty.

"No!" I was really terrified.

TD didn't say anything and Infinite was also silent, but in TD's eyes I could see that he was starting to waver. He usually was so confident when taking down his enemies, but much like when he saw the Nameless One again for the first time in who-knows-how-long, he was starting to doubt that he could take this guy on. The rest of TD's family were gathered around Twilight, staring up at the beast before them in fear of what they saw. The same couldn't be said for Infinite or Bill. Bill had recovered enough to float up into the air beside Infinite with some form of psychic powers. He didn't seem to be injured too badly at all, almost as if he had a high durability as TD's pony form did. Both fox and hedgehog were staring the Beast in the eyes. They showed no fear for this foe, only defiance. Bill readied his sword once again and Infinite crossed his arms across his chest in anticipation.

I closed my eyes with fear. Suddenly, I felt a tender touch on my shoulder. I opened my eyes to see the smiling face of my sweetie in front of my face.

"Don't worry. We'll get through every trouble together," He said, caressing his hand upon my cheek. "I'll not let something happen to my sweetheart."

All my fears faded away at this, as I held his his hoof in mine. I nodded. But we were interrupted as the giant wolf made a howl. Joy looked towards the beast and summoned his weapon once again.

"This is gonna be the last craziest thing I'll do either way." He chuckled.

"Huh?" What do you mean?" I asked.

He didn't reply, but touched the grass beneath my hooves.

"Twilight taught me this spell once. I think now it's the perfect time for us to try this."

With this I felt like the land beneath my feet was rising upwards. I realized that I was going upwards on a mat of grass beneath my feet.

"In this way you can keep UP with me," he said and chuckled. I chuckled too as we both floated beside our friends.

"Let's do this!" Joy exclaimed.

TD noticed this and seemed to improve, but even more so when his family rose up to join us, each of them flying or floating beside us respectively.

"Well, let's do this!" Infinite said to Bill and TD, charging up the Phantom Ruby. "One last fight together."

"I hope it's not the last we work together," Bill answered. TD seemed to be surprised to hear this and looked to Bill. A smile was on the fox's face as he looked to TD and continued. "I'd love for us to fight beside each other in the future, like we were originally intended to do."

TD smiled. "Bill Prower, my friend, it's good to have you back after all those years."

Bill smiled back, then turned to the beast before us as we prepared for the fight. Beast howled at us, shooting a green aura beam from his mouth towards us. It was so cold it gave me chills all over my body.

"SHIELD!" Joy shouted.

TD didn't waste a second. With a snap, a powerful shield formed around us just in time. A few cracks appeared on the magical barrier, but it held through the duration of the attack. Infinite then activated the Phantom Ruby again, causing several demolished buildings in the area to reform into two giants composed of rubble. They rushed over to Beast, smashing into him with their giant fists. While this distraction was up, Infinite and Bill both charged through the air at Beast, striking him in the face. Surprisingly, it actually seemed to hurt the giant creature enough to stagger him slightly as they flew back to their friends. Beast growled once again. He raised his front legs and stomped the giants violently, shaking the ground intensely, possibly cracking the ground. Suddenly dark shadows rose from the cracked ground and rushed towards the warriors. Twilight and Flurry acted immediately, firing blasts at the tentacles and causing them to disappear completely. TD meanwhile had a crystal ball in his hand and he seemed to be speaking to it.

"Call everyone," I heard him say, then it turned into a tomato.

"Tomato grenade!" TD called, biting off the green part and spitting it out. "Fire in the hole! Bop!"

He tossed the tomato at Beast, where it splatted against him like normal. Seemingly useless... until an extremely large explosion suddenly engulfed the creature, while TD laughed at his own antic. Beast shook his head as we saw him again. This made me laugh even in such a grave condition. Then it growled and rushed towards us, this time freezing everything its claws came in contact with. I noticed for who he was heading for. Its target was TD and his family with a very fast speed for such a giant body. Joy quickly came in front of them blowing a force field to hold him back while buying TD some time to get prepared.

"Watch out TD!" Joy said, "It's ice magic!"

TD noticed this and opened his eyes wide with surprise. Thankfully, he didn't have to worry. A giant frying pan appeared above Beast, smacking him hard before disappearing. Screwball chuckled when this happened and looked to TD. He gave her a high-hoof with his... hand.

"Frying pans! Who knew, right?" he asked her cheerfully.

Infinite meanwhile had decided to follow up with several rockets fired into Beast that he had summoned with the Phantom Ruby. Bill also was down below slicing away at the giant with his sword. His small size wouldn't have been taken seriously, if it wasn't for the fact that each blow he managed to make connect actually staggered Beast as if he was fighting a giant of his own. However, there seemed to be a problem.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Bill shouted up, "And I doubt we can kill him permanently!"

"Then we banish him!" TD stated, "To the Void, from which there's no return. Besides, that's why I called backup!"

As he said this, a portal appeared in the air beside us and several familiar figures stepped out of it, walking in midair: Zach, Diana, Mimi, Pinkie Pie the Changeling, Serena, and a large creature that was almost four times my size and seemed to be a merpony of some kind. It was light blue in color and seemed to be a female. A pink gem was on its chest and it looked to Infinite, who seemed to be surprised to see her.

"Sonata?" his voice spoke, "Serena? You're here too?"

Then all of sudden, a rainbow colored aura beam connected with Beast. The beast howled in agony as this happened. I looked towards the direction of the beam and saw that Twilight and the elements were there and they were in their rainbow forms.

"Did we missed something?" Rainbow asked.

"Took you long enough," Joy said with a smile as he looked towards Twilight and her friends.

"We could've been here two hours ago," Applejack said and looked towards Pinkie in anger, "But Pinkie was busy with shopping for the Cake Twins birthday!"

"Hope, you're not thinking to end this without me," And all of sudden, Discord was there too. "Are you?"

TD smirked, then snapped his fingers, but nothing seemed to happen... until he explained.

"I've placed a barrier around this area! He cannot leave this world or this battlefield without my say so! Not even the Nameless One can get through that!"

"You're SO dead!" Tracker hollered at Beast. Infinite looked to his family, who floated beside him, the gems in their chests glowing brightly. A smile was seen in his eyes and he transformed himself. At first, it looked as though he had switched back into Red, but this time he had a gem still on his chest. He looked to TD and asked, "Now?"

"Now," TD replied. Bill heard this and leaped impossibly high up to us, then he and Red transformed. Red returned to the black-and-white form we had seen him in before, but Bill was now made up of light. The cloned personalities of TD looked to each other and high-fived while TD came over to them.

"Let's do this," they all said as one.

"Let's do this!" Joy and I shouted while his fists and eyes started to glow. My horn was glowing with my own and newly gain magic from my mother-in-law.

"Let's do this!" Elements of harmony shouted charging the power of elements once again.

"Of course!" Discord cracked his knuckles, and his paw and talon started to glow with the power of chaos.

 ****Onlookers POV****

Beast was prepared for this. He roared as pure hatred could be seen in his eyes. But maybe, he'd planned something already. It looked around and stayed his eyes upon Bubble and smirked.

 ****Bubble's POV****

I suddenly felt as if something pinched on my spine. That itched a little, but faded away as soon as it came. Then I focused my attention towards the beast once again. All at once, we unleashed our power upon him in our own fashions. TD's Twilight, the Elements, Diana, Zach, Screwball, Flurry, Bill, Red, Joy and I all fired a beam of energy at Beast; Queen Pinkie and Mimi transformed into some large dragons and breathed pink and orange fire (respectively) upon him; Tracker summoned some kind of dark fiery orbs in his hooves and threw them at Beast; Serena and Sonata each made a loud scream that sent colorful shockwaves of energy upon Beast; and TD stood with his hands outstretched and at the ready, as if preparing for some kind of spell. All of our energy struck Beast at once, causing a wonderfully beautiful explosion to occur that could be seen for miles and miles around. When the dust settled, our enemy could be seen looking rather tore up. He was on his last leg, yet... he was still smirking. At me. It scared me a little, but I knew that he was about to lose anyway. My sweetie seemed to notice this and shot one last blast in his eyes, blinding him at once.

"Keep your dirty sight away." Joy said "Don't worry Bubble," My dear husband to me, "He will not scare you anymore."

But instead of crying in agony, he still seemed like chuckling.

"You don't know... when you lose," It said in very horrible multiple voices "You fools."

"SILENCE!" TD's voice suddenly boomed over the top of the Beast, he too using multiple voices. All were silent as they looked to TD. Bill and Red floated down to him and stood by his side, still in their new forms. From my angle, I could see that TD's eyes had turned into their draconic state, boring holes into Beast as he stepped forward.

"You have violated multiple laws of the Space/Time continuum, threatened a world under the protection of a Guardian, and assaulted a Guardian. There is only one punishment suitable for your crimes. Red, Bill. If you may..."

Red and Bill nodded, then a light formed over them. I realized that they were merging with TD's body, as if returning to their original host. TD's image changed as well, and when the light cleared he was in his Guardian form: one half of him darkness, another light. This time, however, he had an additional feature; his draconic eyes remained. He thrust his hand toward Beast, and suddenly a portal appeared behind him that threatened to suck in the foul creature. A red light appeared in TD's hand and he thrust it in Beast's direction.

"YOU HAVE NO POWER HERE, SERVANT OF DARKNESS," TD spoke, still with multiple voices at once. "YOU ARE NAMELESS. FACELESS. FORMLESS. I BANISH YOU BEYOND SPACE AND TIME, BEYOND REALITY, BEYOND DEATH. I BANISH YOU TO THE DEPTHS OF THE VOID, FROM WHICH THERE IS NO RETURN. YOU. ARE. NO MORE!"

With a final flash from the light in his hands, TD's power forced Beast into the portal, where he was sucked away like one in a vortex. The portal closed up, and a flash of light erupted into the air, one that I'm willing to bet could've been seen from space. When we could see clearly again, TD had returned to normal, and both Bill and Red were beside him. They too had returned to normal.

"YEAH!" Bill shouted, sounding almost like a victorious child for a moment. "Oh, it felt SO good to do that again!"

Then all of sudden, I felt my body is floating into the air once again, but this time nopony was doing this.

"Joy~" I said, "What's happening to me~?"

"Bubble!" He was unable to stop this by using his magic. A bright light was shrouding me. I was clueless as well as many others who were there, but two certain ponies- technically two alternate versions of the same pony- seemed to understand the situation.

 ****Onlookers POV****

"Don't worry Joy," Princess Twilight of Joy's world said, "She's fine."

"What do you mean?" Joy asked, "What's happening?"

"You'll be surprised," She answered.

TD's Twilight smiled knowingly.

"She did it," she said.

"Did what?" TD asked. He then suddenly got a look of realization. "Oh! I know now! Ha ha! Joy, you're not gonna believe this!"

He started laughing almost as if he was crazy, twirling his Twilight around for no reason. It didn't seem to matter, because she was laughing along with him as he did so. Joy soon remembered the time when he saw this first time. His smile grew larger and larger as he realized what was happening.

Suddenly, the bright light which was shrouding Bubble became even brighter and took the shape of her cutie mark. Now they could see that five hearts were revolving around a five pointed star as it slowly started to descend. The bright light started to fade away as they could see Bubble Heart standing there with her brand new pair of wings.

Joy was speechless to see this.

"No. Way..." Rainbow Dash said, almost without words.

"Celestia..." Rarity remarked.

"By Equestria..." Applejack said.

"My goodness!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"Well, now I've seen it all," Discord said as if bored, but he too was smiling.

"Wahoo!" both Pinkies shouted as one, "BEST. VICTORY. EVER!"

"Way to go, Bubble," Zach said with a smile.

"Mhm!" Diana agreed.

"I... I don't believe it," Mimi said in awe, having returned to her normal state. TD and his Twilight had stopped twirling around to look to Bubble. They were also smiling.

"Wha- what happened?" Bubble asked as she opened her eyes and looked towards the cheerful faces of her husband and her friends alike. Joy came ran towards her and picked her up in his arms. Now it was his turn to twirl around with his wife.

"Bubble!" He shouted "You have wings!"

"I have what?!" She exclaimed as she looked around to her sides, gazing upon her gorgeous fluffed opened wings. "I have wings!" She exclaimed happily. "But how?"

"I can't explain..." Joy said.

"Don't look at me. I'm just as surprised as you are," TD stated with a chuckle.

"Way to go, Bubs!" Screwball cheered. Tracker cheered with her.

In a few moments, Princess Celestia descended from the sky towards them while the group was pondering the current situation. Joy looked at his mother, but didn't run towards her for a hug. Celestia sighed at this.

"Still mad at me?" She asked, but Joy just looked away crossing his arms. "Fine," She rolled her eyes "Don't blame me then!" She said and floated her son into a hug. Joy resisted at first, but he soon realized that he couldn't be mad at his mother anymore, so he wrapped his arms around her.

"Who am I kidding?" Joy chuckled to himself, "I can't stay mad at you. Darn me if I ever did!"

Celestia sighed in relief and kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry too that I tricked you away from your friends."

"That's alright now," Joy replied, "Now, can I ask how my sweetheart got her wings?"

"Yes, please do explain Tia," TD said aloud.

"Tia?" Red asked, laughing a bit, "That's your nickname for her as well?!"

"I think it's fitting, Red," Bill said to him. That shut the hedgehog up.

"Alright," Celestia said and came closer to Joy's sweetheart. "My dear daughter-in-law Bubble Heart, your heart is as strong as steal, but as pure as gold. You stood beside my son through every trouble big or small. Even in such a grave situation, you never left his side." Bubble blushed at this. "Even when you were hurt by some sore realizations," Bubble kept looking towards Celestia as she was explaining this. "You were always looking forward to better days. You have determination, will, compassion, and a devoted heart." Celestia stood alongside the elements and the others, "You taught us that once one promises to be with somepony, then there's no backing off, no matter what." Celestia bowed before her along with all the Elements, "You're an inspirition for us all."

"TD, do we bow too?" Red asked. In answer, TD and all of his friends and family knelt before Bubble, and Red soon followed as it had answered his question. Afterwards, TD stood to his feet and walked over to Bubble.

"Well done, my friend," he said kindly, "It seems that there truly is more to you than what meets the eye. You've overcome an obstacle that I was unable to overcome myself for over thousands of years, and I couldn't be more proud to call you my friend."

He extended his hand towards her for a hand/hoofshake. Bubble looked up to TD and there were tears in her eyes. She extended her hoof and looked towards him with a smile but didn't said anything. She looked around her where everypony was getting up, looking straight towards her. And then she looked towards her husband who was standing beside her.

"Am I really worthy of these wings?"

"I know you are, my Princess," Joy said.

TD chuckled, then suddenly a portal appeared nearby opening up into his Equestria. A second one opened up as well, but this time it seemed to be opening up into a different area, and another fox similar to Bill could be seen on the other side fiddling with a machine nearby. The fox was an adult, with yellow fur instead of red, and he had two tails instead of one.

"Oh for the love of..." he started, then stopped himself.

"That portal has very incontinent timing," Red stated. Bill said nothing, but he was looking towards the fox on the other side with a smile.

"So is that a goodbye forever now?" Joy asked with a saddened tone "The threat is over now and your promise has been fulfilled." He took a deep sigh.

TD laughed and looked to Joy. "My promise may be fulfilled, but that doesn't mean goodbye forever. We may stop by a few times soon. And you never know when you may have to call on me again." He gave Joy a wink when he said that. "Plus, I think we have time for a non-rushed goodbye."

"It's good to hear," Joy said, "So will you like to stay for Bubble's Ascension Ceremony?"

TD looked around at his friends, and they all nodded.

"Make it unanimous," TD stated. He snapped his fingers and the one portal disappeared. The other with the fox still stood open. Bill looked at it, then chuckled.

"I'll tell Miles to post-pone the portal opening for a while longer," he said. He walked into the portal for a second, and seemed to have a short conversation with the fox. Afterwards, he came back out and the portal closed behind him.

"Yay! Who's up for tacos?" Red shouted. Everyone looked at him. "What? I like tacos."

* * *

Ponies from Canterlot and many other cities were also standing in front of Royal palace. All the eyes were staring at the balcony of the Castle waiting for Princesses of Equestria. In a while, all four Princesses were there in their gorgeous regalias. Princess Celestia came in front of her little ponies and raised a hoof towards them. Then she announced:

"Today is a historical day in the history of Ponyville. You may have knew about the havoc which occurred here in the last few years. Now you don't have to worry about them anymore." Everypony sighed in relief at this. "Along with this, I have even bigger news. The one for which this ceremony is really being held. Fillies and gentlecots, I now present you 'Princess Bubble Heart'."

Then with all her grace Princess Bubble Heart came there into a royal regalia along with the royal maids who were singing in her honor.

 _Now Princess Bubble's coming_  
 _Behold, Behold_  
 _Now Princess Bubble's here_  
 _Behold, Behold_  
 _Now Princess Bubble's here before us_  
 _Behold, Behold_  
 _(Behold behold~ behold behold~)_  
 _Now the Princess is, Princess is here_

Bubble was standing in front of Celestia as little Sunny was holding her crown. Princess Celestia took the crown (which had an emblem of a five pointed star) and placed this on Bubble's head.

Bubble came in front of the crowd and waved her hoof.

"Say something dear," Celestia said to her.

"Well, I'll just say that... I'm still what I was before. I'm still a good friend, a wife, and a mother as well. What I did, I did for my belief in what I thought is right. If I've learned something till now, it's that nothing is impossible; if you believe and have determination, you can achieve anything."

As she finished her speech, the ponies were silent for a while. Then eventually, cheers and stomps arose from everywhere in the crowd. Bubble was very happy that day. She then came down from the balcony and sat in the royal chariot which was waiting for her. Joy was already waiting for his Princess inside. She sat in the chariot along with Joy and the chariot stallions began to pull the chariot. Bubble waved her hooves towards the ponies of Canterlot and the other cities who were there.

At last, the chariot was stopped and Joy and Bubble came down. Their friends were standing there waiting for them. TD and his family was there too, apparently about to prepare for their own sendoff. But of course, they wanted to say their goodbyes first. And their congratulations.

"Well done, my friends," TD said to them as they descended, "I never thought I'd live to see such a glorious day of celebration in either Equestria."

TD's Twilight looked to Bubble with some happy tears in her eyes. "I'm really proud of you, Bubble Heart."

"Okay okay, enough of the floodgates," Red quipped, then turned to Joy with a smile. "So, I guess this marks a new arc in your story, huh?"

Joy didn't reply for a few seconds, then he spoke.

"I guess it does. And whatever life is bringing for me, I'm ready for that," Joy said with determination and then looked towards TD. "William, my good friend, I don't know how can I thank you for what you did." He extended his hand for a handshake "Is there anything I can do for all your favers towards me and my world?"

TD smiled and shook his hand. "Keep looking forward, treat your family well, and continue to be the Prince you are to these ponies. That would more than suffice."

"Or you could ask for a rew-" Red started, but was cut off my Bill's tail whipping him in the face, much to the amusement of the majority of the group.

This, I can do," Joy said as, they saw Sunny flying over their heads and landing beside her mother. Bubble nuzzled her daughter as Joy spoke. "I'm more than happy to be a part of this world."

TD nodded as Bill spoke next.

"Seeing you and your people happy is payment enough for me."

Red looked to the ground, then to Sonata and Serena, who were giving him an expectant look. He finally broke and looked to Joy.

"Fine! No reward needed here either," he said, speaking as if reluctant to say that, but there was a cheeky smile in his eyes.

"If you say so," Joy said, "Though, I would be happy to help you with anything." Bubble looked towards TD with a smile of reassurance. Then she remembered something.

"Wait a minute William!" Her horn started to glow and she summoned a stone, "That's your stone you gave us during our fight with those monsters of Equestria." Bubble said, floating this towards TD, "You can have it back now..."

TD held up his hand and pushed the stone back towards her.

"Keep it," he said with a smile, "You need it more than I ever will." Then he seemed to get an idea. "Actually, I could use one favor, and it requires the stone."

"Really?" Joy said with a smile, "That's good to know. Tell me how can I help you my friend."

"I need you to send a message," TD said. He leaned over to Joy and whispered something in his ear, then stepped back and asked, "Think you can manage that?"

"Hmm..." Joy thought for a while and then looked towards TD with determination. "Why not? It would be my pleasure."

"Thanks," TD said, "Hold up the stone."

Joy did just that, and it started to glow. TD cleared his throat and began:

 _"Dear Mom and Dad,_

 _This message may reach you before I return, or vice versa. Either way, I feel that it's time I let you in on a little secret. All those stories I've told you about the Terror of Dimensions, my fanfics, and all that... They're all real. I've been living a double life trying to keep it secret from you two, but also to protect you. It's hard to explain. For now, just know that I'll be returning soon to talk about it with you. No more secrets, no more double life. The full truth. Until then, know that I love you both so much!_

 _Your loving son,_

 _William Y."_

The stone shook a bit as TD finished, then it glowed and a voice said from it, "Say the word, Joy Star, and I shall obey."

"Alright Bubble, I'll be back in a little while," Joy said.

"Hmm... okay." Bubble said "Just be alright."

"I will my dear." Joy said and looked towards the stone "Okay, take me on earth to William's parents."

The stone glowed brighter, then both it and Joy disappeared..

* * *

Joy did not expect TD to live in such a place as he was seeing. He seemed to be standing in a neighborhood of some kind, with many different houses lining the black asphalt street he was standing on. Each of the houses he could see had a number on them, as if in a kind of code as to which house was which. The house he stood in front of had the number 508 on it, and three strange box-like chariots stood a short distance outside the house, each a different color. The largest was a bluish-green, the other two were silver and grey respectively. As Joy watched, the door opened and a boy walked out... Joy almost thought he was dreaming. The boy looked exactly like TD! Upon seeing Joy, the boy looked at him with a slight frown, as if wondering what he wanted.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"Yes you can by telling me, is this T- I mean William's home?" Joy asked, as he smiled to himself.

The boy smiled. "Actually, yes. As a matter of a fact, my name is William. You working for the FBI?" He laughed for a bit. "I'm messing with ya. So, what do you need?"

"I..." Joy was a little confused at how he should put this. "Actually, will you believe me, if I said I came from another world with a message from the Terror of Dimensions to his parents?" He asked in one breath. William looked confused for a second, then his eyes lit up and he smiled again.

"It's about time he asked you to send the message... Prince Joy Star of Equestria."

The last part he added with a cheeky glint in his eyes and a raised eyebrow.

"So you do know me." Joy said "It's really confusing actually." He chuckled "But as you said, I'm here with a message." Joy said and floated the stone towards Williams. "It contains yours, I mean his, ohh so confusing, it contains the said message." William looked at him with a concern as he saw him using magic.

"What- how are you doing that?" William asked. He waited for Joy to start to explain, then winked and shouted, "Gotcha! I know all about it."

He took the stone and examined it, then looked back at Joy.

"Thank you. I'll have this delivered to them as soon as I can. But for now, you may want to get out of here. The people on this planet, they aren't familiar with magic... or the magic you're using. Wouldn't want to cause some problems."

"Right~" Joy said as he chuckled to himself a little. "I should go now." Joy touched the stone, "Bring me back to my own world to my family."

As he said this, he began to fade away and before he had completely disappeared he waved at William and said, "Goodbye."

Joy disappeared but the stone was still in William's hand. William chuckled and walked back into the house, looking up into the sky for a moment before he did.

"Come back quickly, TD," he said, then closed the door.

* * *

Joy returned back to where he was standing, alongside his wife and daughter. All of sudden, he received a hug from his daughter.

"Daddy's back!" She said, "Now can we go to Ponyville!"

Joy returned the hug and looked towards TD. The smile on his face indicated that he'd delivered TD's message to his parents.

"Thank you Joy," TD said with a smile. "I trust you saw my duplicated version of myself when you got there? That's the result of a spell I did that technically allows me to be in two places at once. It also keeps my parents from getting suspicious of my departure."

"Speaking of which, we should probably get a move on," Red stated.

"While I agree with him, I also think he could be more patient about it," Bill replied.

"Your welcome." Joy said "I'm glad I could do something for my friend."

TD nodded, then snapped his fingers as the portals reappeared again.

"Say your goodbyes, all," he said, "Because this time sadly, we can't afford to wait."

Bill started, looking to Bubble and Joy both.

"It was an honor fighting by your side," he said to them with a bow.

"No need for bowing my friend," Bubble said, "Thanks to all of you, our beautiful home is free of a huge threat."

Bill nodded, then he gave Bubble a hand/hoofshake. "Good luck my friend. I'll be visiting soon if I can."

Bill walked over to his portal to give his goodbyes to Flurry, while Red went up for goodbyes next.

"So... how was my first impression?" he asked them, "And please be honest. This is for statistics as well as personal notes."

Bubble and Joy looked towards each other and then towards Red and chuckled lightly.

"Your first impression was good enough to me Red." Joy said "Even though you remind me of the days when I first met TD."

Red looked thoughtful at this. "Well if you think about it, since I technically am the same person, it's understandable." He then unexpectedly threw his arms around Joy into a hug. Before Joy could return it, he said, "Hold up. I don't want you to get hurt." His spines suddenly drooped along his back in some way that was kind of odd, but it somehow told Joy that it was no safe to hug him. Then Joy returned the hug to Red.

"Take care Red." Joy looked towards Serena and Sonata, "And take care of your family."

Red nodded, then giggled a bit. "I said this to Sonata when we first started... dating, I guess you could call it. But due to our sizes, I still feel like a plushie in the arms of anyone as big as you are."

Joy giggled at this as well and released him from the hug. Then Bubble giggled and spoke.

"It was nice knowing you Red."

"Likewise," he said. His eyes then turned very large and cute and he asked in a child's voice, "Can we come back some other time?"

Sonata rolled her eyes, almost like TD's Twilight did whenever TD did some kind of antic. Serena just giggled. Joy then looked towards Red's family.

"Thanks Miss Sonata! To be honest, I always thought Sirens were selfish and not good creatures, but I've never been so wrong." Joy extended his hand towards the Siren. "Thanks to you too."

The Siren smiled and shook his hand. Because of her height in her current form, she towered above Joy, but still managed to downplay that fact.

"Your welcome," she replied. "I'm glad we could help. And I too am hoping to see you again one day."

Serena waited patiently for her mother, then she too gave Joy a goodbye hug.

"I'll see you later, Joy," she said sweetly, "Maybe I can arrange you and your family front-row seats to one of my concerts."

"That'd be great Serena," Joy said, "We'll be looking forward to this."

Next in line was Screwball and Tracker, both beaming bright smiles.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye again," Tracker said to Joy.

"Don't worry Tracky," Screwball said to her boyfriend, "I have a feeling we're going to see them again soon." She looked to Bubble and gave a wink. "After all, I still need some help with the future wedding plans."

"Oh, I'm gonna miss you two." Bubble said "I hope we'll meet again soon."

The two gave them a quick hug before moving on to Zach and Diana.

"Good luck you two," Zach said, giving them both a group hug with Diana, "We'll miss you both while we're gone."

"Mhm!" Diana agreed, some tears falling down her cheeks.

"Don't cry, please," TD requested tearfully, "You're making me cry too."

Twilight giggled beside him at this.

"Don't cry Diana!" Bubble said and hugged her, "I'm having a feeling that we'll meet again." Bubble released her from the hug "This isn't goodbye forever."

"I know," she said, speaking for the first time that day, "But I'm still gonna miss you a lot."

"We'll miss you too Diana." Bubble said, then after a second of silence, "Before you leave, how about a photo in memory of this day?"

Diana nodded as she and Zach both gathered together for the photo. TD apparently had seen this coming, because he already had a camera out.

"Smile! You're probably being recorded for a prank video," he said.

Diana giggled a little as well as Zach.

"Just take the picture," Zach requested between chuckles.

Joy and Bubble both chuckled at this.

"How about a group photo?" Joy suggested.

TD smiled and pulled out a camera, then caused it to float in front of them.

"Places everyone!" he called, getting beside Joy. Everypony there took their places in front of floating camera. Joy held Sunny in his lap as she smiled and looked towards the camera. The camera went off with a flash, much to TD's annoyance.

"I hate the flash," he grumbled.

Joy and Bubble just chuckled lightly and shrugged at his reaction.

"Let's see the photo, shall we?" Bubble suggested.

TD got to the camera first. He looked at the photo, and smiled.

"Success!" he shouted, leaping impossibly high.

"It's so nice," Bubble said.

"Mmmhmm," Joy nodded.

"What? Him jumping in the air, or the photo?" Screwball asked.

"What do you think Screwball?" Bubble giggled, "The photo of course. But we didn't say his jump wasn't good either."

"So maybe both," Joy chuckled.

"Don't tell him that," Red piped up, "It'll get to his head."

"And it doesn't to you?" Bill asked sarcastically.

They both smiled for a moment then sighed as they looked towards their friends. "So... I guess it's time for farewell now." Joy said "I'm really gonna miss all of you."

Bubble nodded. A tear or two left her eyes as she looked towards the sad Diana. She tried to smile and said, "My best wishes for you Diana. May you find your special somepony soon."

Diana nodded, then trotted back towards the portal behind them. The group of misfits walked through slowly, taking time to say their goodbyes. TD was the last to leave, and he looked up at the sky before turning to Joy.

"I can sense a beautiful future for this world," he said. As he jumped through the portal, he added, "Cya real soon!"

And with that, the portal closed up behind them. Joy kept looking towards the portal for a while, then with a smile he looked towards Bubble and his daughter.

"Well, we should be heading back to the palace now."

Bubble nodded. "Yes. Let's go."  
With this, the exotic couple and their daughter headed back to the palace.

 *****A few months later*****

Bubble was feeling ill and a little upset in her stomach for quiet a while. She was unable to understand her conditions and Joy and Sunny were also worried about her. Even Princess Celestia wasn't sure what could be the case. During those days, Heart Sparkle came to visit her daughter. After hearing about her condition, she was silent for a while then she spoke.

"I can't believe this!" she said, almost bursting with excitement "This is so amazing!"

"What it is, Mom?" Joy asked Heart with confusion and looked towards his mother and aunt Luna. They both looked towards each other as realization hit them both and they smiled at their silliness.

"Silly me," Celestia said, "Of course that's the real reason."

"How come you didn't know Tia?" Luna asked her while shaking her head.

Joy coughed and brought their attention towards him .

"Please, tell me what it is," He pleaded.

"Sorry my bad," Heart giggled, "Soon there will be another... foal in your lap."

"What!?" Bubble said with a joyful surprise "Is it mean... I am... I am... I am expec.." Bubble didn't complete her sentence and blushed deeply with a charming smile. Heart nodded as she kissed her daughter on forehead.

"Yes my dear, take this from a mare who'd been a mother. You certainly are."

At this, Bubble burst with joy, pulling her husband in a tight hug along with her daughter.

"Dad, what's everypony talking about?" Sunny asked

"Sunny, you're going to become a big sister soon," Joy said

"Really!?" Sunny shouted and hoovered into the air, swirling around with excitement. "Yay! I'm gonna be a big sister!"

She yelled with excitement while her parents watched her with glee. Joy was holding Bubble's hoof while Bubble was so excited to think about the upcoming joys. Then she looked towards Sunlight Blossom.

'She's still my dearest daughter.' Then she placed her hoof on her belly, 'Nothing's gonna ever change this.' She thought, 'They both will be the dearest apples of my eyes.'

She gave a kiss on Joy's cheek. All of his family members were so happy to hear this.

A new dawn had risen upon their world...

* * *

Far away, on some large spaceship, the Nameless One was mulling over some new plans of his. Several of his robots and humans stood around him, waiting to speak with him.

"Master, I have preparations for our next attack," one suggested, but was cut off by a raise of the Nameless One's hand.

"The boy is no longer our problem," he said, "From now on, we focus on our original plan. Send word to the troops."

The robots nodded and left to carry out their orders. Nameless looked out to space and a smile crept over his face.

"I'm coming for you next, William," he said, "And this time... no one will be safe."

* * *

 **Well, this is quite the series! I really liked doing this!**

 **Don't think it's over yet! An epilogue is just around the corner! Cya there!**


	8. Epilogue

**Whoo! As promised, here's your epilogue! I'm still not entirely sure how we got this far, but we did! And it's been worthwhile.**

 **Hint: Most of the reactions that the others have towards the songs are _during_ the song.**

 **Please enjoy!**

* * *

"I'm going now!" Shouted a filly with a yellow coat and light brown mane, as she came out of a special suit of the palace.

"Wait!" A voice shouted from behind her. "You forgot your lunch box honey!"

Looking behind her, Sunny saw her mother standing there with a pink lunch box, her father standing beside her. And beside her father, there was also a little colt. The colt was a white and light green color with a golden mane and light blue hooves.

"Oh right," She smiled shyly as she came towards her mother, "Thanks mom."

At this, Bubble kissed her daughter on the forehead.

"Take care my dear," Bubble said.

"Have fun in school my sunshine!" Joy added.

"I will, mom and dad," She replied.

"Take cale big shish," The little colt spoke, waving his hoof towards Sunny.

"Aww! I will, my little bro," She said, caressing his mane. "You take care of mom and dad, okay?" He nodded with a smile.

After this, Sunny walked towards the group of other fillies and colts who were going towards school. The couple and the little colt headed inside the palace once more.  
Time had passed so quickly. Now Joy and Bubble were living as a happily married couple and they couldn't be more happy then they were now. Sunny had started to go to school a year and half ago. But even more to their pleasure was that little colt.

The colt was their dear son, even though they were unsure how they could've produced a child together after what the doctors had told them. It was much to everypony's surprise when they came to know that Bubble had been pregnant.

Now the colt was three years old. His eyes' color was that of his father and that was the only thing he took from him, because he was a pony in his shape. Joy's dear foal was playing in their bed while Joy, along with his wife, were sitting beside him. Suddenly, Joy started to chuckle. Bubble looked towards him and raised an eye.

"Just thinking about how much time has been passed," Joy explained, "It seems like it was only yesterday when we got married."

"Mmmhmm," Bubble sighed while caressing Joy's cheek with her wing, "Time flies I guess."

Joy giggled and Bubble giggled along him. Suddenly, a loud crash was heard, followed by a yelp of pain in the direction of the throne room.

"Twi!" a voice shouted, "Twi, get the shotgun!"

A few magic bursts were heard, then...

"Darn you, William! Why did you have to let it out?"

"William?" Joy asked.

"Twilight?" Bubble asked.

A smile came upon their faces. It had been a really long time since they'd met their old friends.

"This place is haunted!" the first voice shouted.

"Dad, you've been in the inflatable room too long again, haven't you?" a third, male voice asked.

"We're in the throne room!" a fourth, female voice called. It sounded like...

Joy and Bubble looked towards their little colt. He was also listening to those sounds.

"Who'le they?" He asked.

"They're here Bubble," Joy said, "Let's go there and surprise them!"

Bubble nodded. Her horn started to glow, and in a second they all disappeared in a flash of pink aura. They reappeared in the throne room where they knew they had heard the sounds of their friends. Standing there was TD, his Princess Twilight, Zach, Diana, Screwball, Tracker, and TD's Flurry Heart. Each looked to their friends and gave a cry of joy.

"Joy! Bubble!" a chorus of voices called as they rushed in for a group hug. Joy and Bubble welcomed the hug, though the little colt was a little hesitant, but he also joined the hug with a little help from Bubble.

"It's been so long!" Joy said, "How are you my friends?"

"We're doing fine," Diana replied, "We've actually been preparing for a special occasion that's due in about another month back home."

Screwball and Tracker smiled at this, holding hooves as they looked to their friends.

"Guess what it is," TD stated nearby with a chuckle, "Guess correctly, and you win a prize."

They both looked towards their favorite Tracker and Screwball. Soon, Bubble realized what it was as her smile grew. Joy also seemed to realize what it was.

"Congratulations!" Bubble said in excitement. "You're finally getting married!"

"Well, I'm so glad for both of you," Joy said, "Now, your turn to guess?" Joy gestured towards the little colt who was standing beside Bubble. He was looking towards TD, as he was trying to recognize him. Diana made a gasp when she saw him.

"Is that your-?" She couldn't finish and instead gave a huge smile. Twilight was also smiling at Bubble.

"I'm proud of you both," she said, "Congratulations to you two."

TD chuckled as he looked to the colt. "What's your name?" he asked gently.

"M-my name is B- Bold Healt," the little colt replied while keep looking towards him. Maybe he was surprised to see another pony of his father's kind.

"Bold Heart?" TD smiled. "That's a nice name. My name is William. Don't worry, I may seem scary but my bark is worst than my bite."

As he said this, he pulled out a piece of tree bark for emphasis. Bold smiled to see this. Then they all looked towards TD.

"It was mom's suggestion," Bubble smiled as she caressed her colt's mane. "That was the name of my grandfather as she told me."

"I'd say it suits him well," Twilight said kindly. Then Flurry spoke up.

"Wait, where'd Bill and the others go?"

Just then, some singing could be heard outside: two male and two female. TD smiled widely.

"I think we found them," he said, "Follow me, please."

The group obliged, following the human until they were just outside the palace. Outside, some ways away, they saw four figures approaching: Bill, Red, Sonata, and Serena. They were singing a song that was quite familair to the group, with Red taking the lead role and sounding exactly like... Big Mac?

[If you need clarification, in case the info here isn't enough: Sonata sings Rarity's lines; Red, Big Mac's; and Bill and Serena take the other parts respectively]

 **Red:** _Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah_

 **Others:** _Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah) Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah) Bum, bum, bum-ba-da, ba-da (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah) Bum, bum, bum-ba-da ah (Oh, ah-ah-ah-ah)_

 **Red:** _Trot outside and you see the sunshine_  
 _Something's in the air today_  
 _Sky is clear and you're feelin' so fine_  
 _Everything's gonna be a-okay_

 **Bill and Serena:** _If you listen carefully_  
 _On every corner there's a rhythm playing_

 **Bill and Sonata:** _Then it happens suddenly_  
 _The music takes you over and you'll_

 **All:** _Find you've got the music (Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_  
 _Got the music in you (Oh, you)_  
 _Find you've got the music (Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_  
 _Got the music in you_

 **Red:** _Oh, o-o-oh_

 _Everypony's sayin' you should learn to express your voice_  
 _But if talk doesn't seem like it's the answer_  
 **All:** _Luckily you have a choice_  
 _When you_

 _Find you've got the music (Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_  
 _Got the music in you (Oh, you)_  
 _Find you've got the music (Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiind the music)_  
 _Got the music in you_

 _Got the music, got the music in you!_

"I like that song," Bubble said and started to hum along the song and giggled. "Pony tones are the best," She said, while the whole group keep going towards Bill, Red and his family.

"What up?" Red called, still using a Big Mac voice.

"It was his idea," Bill pointed out, but he was smiling and even chuckling a bit. Serena giggled as she waved to her friends.

"Nice to see you again," Joy said "I hope everything went fine during these years."

"It has been doing well," Red answered, no longer using Big Mac's voice, "I see you've grown in your family since we last met."

Bill sighed. "I knew he was gonna read your mind somehow."

"Spoiler alert!" Bubble said sarcastically. Joy chuckled at this.

"Bill, Red, everypony else, this is our little foal, Bold Heart," Joy said, while he was standing beside Bubble and Bold.

"Ah!" Red exclaimed, his eyes suddenly turning into cute puppy eyes, "He's so adorable!"

"Cute kid," Bill remarked politely.

"He's got his father's eyes, and his mother's smile," Sonata noted. Bubble smiled at Sonata's remark.

"Hello, Bold Heart," Serena greeted.

"Hi!" Bold said to Serena while extending his hoof. TD gave a low whistle.

"Wow. How the seasons have changed since we last spoke. How's the kingdom coming along?" he asked.

"Everything is going very well," Joy replied, "Mom's only concern now are those evil humans in the dungeon prisons."

"Ah..." TD rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I forgot about that. I should apologize to her when I get the chance. I promised her in private that I'd personally be there to help put them on trial. I didn't think I'd end up postponing it this long."

"Considering that you procrastinate on a lot of things, it doesn't surprise me," Twilight said to him with a chuckle.

"Hey, where's Sunny?" Red asked, cutting in on the conversation that had arisen.

"Yeah, where is the little filly?" Bill added teasingly, "Hopefully behaving?"

"She's in the school right now," Joy replied, "She'll be here after a while."

"Oh, will she be surprised," TD chuckled to himself, almost creepily. His accomplices rolled their eyes at this, all except Red who added his own two cents.

"That's right," Red said in an equally creepy voice, "And when she returns, we can do the unboxing video with the coffins from the cemetery! Ahahaha!"

Suddenly, a shovel levitated over his head and smacked him hard, causing him to fall to the ground. It then levitated into Bill's hands, before he tossed it aside.

"The [Bleep] is wrong with you?" he asked. The censor had actually been heard by all, and apparently Bill knew that it would happen, because he didn't look at all surprised.

"That still works, thankfully," TD muttered. Joy and Bubble smiled and shrugged to see this while Bold was standing beside his mother a little confused.

"Oh well, let's go to the garden," Bubble said, "That's a much better place to sit and talk."

Joy nodded as he picked up his son on his shoulder. "I think it's a good idea."

"Garden?!"

Red immediately shot off like a speeding bullet in the direction of the gardens, while Bill sighed and followed at a regular pace with the others.

"Only reason he knows where to go is because he probed the minds of both me and his own daughter," TD noted. "Sometimes that gets really annoying when people act that way."

"Hypocrite," Screwball muttered nearby, earning a chuckle from Tracker.

"Hmm... that IS annoying actually," Bubble said.

In a while, they had reached the garden. The scenery was really lovely there. As those were the early days of spring, they could see the trees in bloom and colorful flowers everywhere. Not just that, but the chirping of birds was a really nice touch as well. Red soon revealed himself, somehow managing to balance his entire form on a tiny tree branch that he was lying across, staring up at the sky. He took a deep breath then let it out, which was a seemingly pointless action for him to make, as he had no lungs. But he soon revealed why he had done so.

"Even without lungs, I can still smell things," he said aloud to no one in particular, "And those flowers are sweet."

"Amen to that," TD replied, stretching out on his back too. Twilight lay down beside him, nuzzling up to him affectionately. Screwball and Tracker sat down beside each other nearby, and Zach and Diana joined the group as well. Sonata and Serena levitated up to where Red was and floated beside him, although Sonata purposely almost knocked him off the branch out of mischievousness. Or attempted to at least. It didn't seem to affect or bother the artificial hedgehog in any manner. Bubble, Joy, and Bold also lied on the grass such as Joy was in the middle of Bubble and Bold who was placing his head on his father's arm.

"Just like in foalhood. This reminds me of a very precious moment," Bubble giggled with a blush.

"I know right," Joy said "I wonder how time passes so quickly."

"Mmmhmm," Bubble said as she nuzzled him. "We... probably should be careful," she whispered as Joy raised his eyes, "'Cause you know... there are three mind reading entities around us."

"Two, technically," Red called from his tree, "And too late!"

Bill slapped himself, then looked to the couple.

"Be thankful that I actually know which areas to stay out of when in one's mind," he stated. Flurry giggled at her friend.

"I believe the only reason you ever got any personal information off of me was when I was a baby," Flurry remarked to him, "And I gave you that information willingly."

"Yeah," Bill sighed, "You were so tiny and adorable back then. I literally almost felt like squealing with joy around you."

Bubble felt a little frustrated at Red's previous antic. "I mean c'mon, privacy is something after all. That hedgehog really need to learn some manners."

Bubble's horn started to glow and she summoned a pink forcefield around Red and raised it to some height, and then the forcefield disappeared, making him fall on the ground. Then she gestured towards Joy, who used his magic to smack him into the tree. The others were surprised at first, then started laughing. Red was far from being hurt thanks to the way he had been created, but he must have gotten the hint that the couple wasn't happy with his peeping into their memories.

"Owww!" Red complained, "That's definitely gonna leave a mark!"

"Oh, quit your whining," Bill said with a laugh, "You have a healing factor that's meant to save you from worst than that. You'll be fine."

Red sighed in irritation, but a twinkle in his eyes said his tone was something else thankfully.

"Privacy? Ever heard the word?" Bubble asked sarcastically.

"Sorry for smacking your father like this Serena," Joy said apologetically, "Hope you didn't mind."

"Oh don't worry," Serena replied, "If anything, I'd say you beat mom and I to it."

"Hey!" Red shouted.

"You know it's true!" TD laughed.

Just then, in the distance, they all heard a howl, followed by a voice similar to the howling wind. Joy and Bubble recognized the howling. That was the sound of their Windago friend, Cold Winter. He had gone to Ponyville to learn more about friendship from Princess Twilight. Though many were still scared of him, they were getting used to him just like Discord.

"Did somepony say my name?" All of sudden, Discord appeared along with Sunlight. Sunlight looked around and went towards her parents and little brother. Her parents and brother grabbed her in a group hug.

"How was the school my sunshine?" Joy asked.

"It was fine dad," She said in calm tune, "Just as usual." Sunny noticed the others and recognized them quickly. "Hey everypony! It's such a surprise to see all of you here."

"Good to see you again, Sunny," Twilight greeted.

"Double adorable!" Red exclaimed, his eyes reverting back to puppy eyes.

"Processing, please wait," Bill said jokingly, as Red didn't seem to react to any further actions made towards him.

"It's good to see you too," Sunny said in excitement, "Wow, looks like you've grown up pretty fast."

"Well, it has been over forty years or more back home," Twilight noted.

"Thanks for picking her up from the school Discord," Bubble said.

"No need for thanks," Discord replied "I'm her uncle after all."

In a while, Winter was there looking towards the group as he made a neigh.

"Hey guys!" he called to them as he floated down to the ground. "Wow! You brought the whole gang!"

"Not the entire crew," Red mentioned with a smirk, "We've still got plenty more where that came from."

"Red, I think we should wait for that," Bill warned.

"So how have you been Winter?" Joy asked "Hopefully ponies don't get that much scared around you now."

"They've learned to trust me... to some extent," he admitted, "But Twilight says I'm making great progress. Our Twilight, that is."

"Well, now it's two Twilights telling you that," TD's Twilight remarked, "Because it's plain to see. Well done, Winter."

Winter smiled. "Thanks Princess Twilight."

"It's good to know my friend." Joy smiled. "Hopefully you're doing better than Discord," He said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Discord said, "That's not true!"

"Discord has his flaws, and so do I," Winter stated bluntly, "I'd say we're tied at the very least." He then seemed to notice a particular face in the crowd, and his expression lit up a little more. "Oh, hi Serena."

Serena smiled warmly. "Hello Winter. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

Red looked between the two of them skeptically, then looked to TD.

"Get Pinkie Pie over here please," he begged, "I need a love detector ASAP."

"Dad!" Serena groaned. Joy and Bubble seemed to understand what Red was implying. They both giggled at this, while Joy remembered how anxious he had been about his mother's possible reaction towards him and Bubble after their confession.

"Don't mess with those powers Red," TD said bluntly, "It never ends well. Take that from an expert on the subject."

Red was silent for a few moments, then with obvious falsity he said, "Please kill me."

That was enough to broke out a laughter from Sunny and Bold. He put things in such a way that it really felt so funny.

"Joking aside," TD said, "We've come for a very special reason this time."

"Really?" Bubble said "What kind of special reason?"

TD smiled again. "How about I put it like this: no more threats, no more ominous dangers, no more postponed schedules because of some maniac trying to murder us all. Just a friendly visit from your buddies."

Bubble sighed in relief as she heard this. That was much to her joy to hear. "My ears were begging to hear that for quite a long time," Bubble said with a huge smile.

"How do you think we felt?" Flurry asked with a chuckle, "Even though I wasn't there for the majority of the fight, it was still a pain to deal with."

Winter spoke next. "So, you said there's more of you guys?"

"Of course," Red remarked, "Did you think we were the last of our kind or something?"

"Well , no," Winter replied, "But it's still a bit surprising."

"I'm looking forward to see the others," Joy said, "That reminds me, where is Changeling Pinkie Pie?"

"She's waiting," Twilight replied.

"More specifically, waiting for us to give the signal," TD finished, "We wanted to be sure that you guys were aware of what was coming up next before dropping anything massive on you."

"Hey, where's Miss Sunlight and Sister Moon?" Red asked out of the blue. This actually made Bill chuckle for once at him.

"Miss Sunlight and Sister Moon?" he asked, laughing, "Boi, who are you?"

"You mean Mom and aunt Luna?" Joy asked, but he couldn't help but chuckle at these nicknames. "Not nice Red," Joy said, "Aunt Luna is asleep in her chambers and as for mother, she's attending a social gathering at Manehatten. She'll be here maybe after two or three hours."

"Boring!" Red rolled onto his stomach. "Can't we just fast forward time, TD?"

"As useful as that would be, let's not do that," Twilight suggested.

"Ah come on!" Red protested, but then TD looked to him.

"Red, just listen to Twilight on this one. Even I'm afraid of her," he said. As if to confirm this, Twilight gave Red a glare that could kill, making the hedgehog shut up immediately. Bubble smiled to see this. Red most of time acted childish, which eventually became super annoying most of time.

"Tracker, Screwball," Sunny asked them, "Do you still like to play in the trees?"

"Of course!" Screwball stated, "When you're incapable of aging, you tend to keep the same mindset no matter your age."

Tracker jumped up into the tree Red had been in, hanging upside down from his tail somehow.

"Come on up," he said with a smile, "The tree fort is open."

"Here I come!" Sunny flew towards the tree and sat on the branch. Then she hopped to another branch while using her wings to keep herself stable. "I think I've gotten a little better at this." She giggled.

"I remember being just like that as a kid," Bill noted, giving himself a good stretch, "But that was over one hundred years ago."

"Age catching up to you, old timer?" Flurry asked him with a giggle.

"No, just the nostalgia," Bill remarked.

"Same here," Red called.

"You miss your old days?" Joy asked, looked towards Red and Bill, "I sometimes also miss my foalhood. Time is such a strange thing."

"Not me," Red muttered, "My childhood was spent listening to the beck and call of my creators. That leads to a crappy childhood."

"At least I had the luxury of a more quiet childhood, even after my parents died and I was brought into the program," Bill replied.

"O...kay!" Joy said sheepishly, "Maybe not everypony's foalhood was so memorable."

"Dad, I wanna go to the palk," Bold said "Can we go now?"

Sunny heard what Bold said and spoke from the tree. "That's a nice idea Boldy," She agreed, "I also wanna go to the park."

TD chuckled and stood to his feet.

"High ho! High ho! Off to the park, we go!" he shouted, and started marching off. Twilight smiled and shook her head as she too stood to her feet.

"Might as well," she said.

"Red, if you sing the song I think you're gonna sing, I'm gonna smash you into the pavement," Bill warned as he and Flurry started off too."

"Too late," Red whispered so the fox wouldn't hear.

"Do you often forget that I too have heightened senses?" Bill asked, without even turning around. Red cursed silently while his wife and daughter simply giggled.

"It's been awhile since I've seen the park," Winter noted. "I'm game."

So all of them headed towards the park, except Discord who disappeared suddenly. Sunny was flying over their heads while Bold was sitting on his father's shoulder, and really enjoying the ride. After a while, they reached the park. There were ponies of all ages walking around or playing with their friends. Bold smiled as they reached the park.

"Go play with your friends my foal," Joy said and got him off of his shoulder and nuzzled his mane. At this, Bold ran towards a slide as Sunny went along with her brother to look after him and catch up with some of her own friends.

"Have fun!" TD called, then added teasingly, "Don't play in the streets!"

Joy and Bubble smiled as they saw their children going towards other foals. Joy smiled and transformed into Blazing Star form and flapped his wings.  
"It's been quiet a long time since I used this form," He said, "Anypony up for a flight race?"

TD smirked as his image changed into his Changeling form: red with orange eyes and yellow wings.

"Oh it's on like Donkey Kong," he challenged. Twilight also smirked and spread her wings, along with Flurry. Serena and Sonata both simply levitated into the sky with a glow from their gems, as Winter floated up beside them.

"Uh, we can't fly," Red stated, "Not without Bill's psychic powers or me going Infinite. And I don't want to scare the kids. So... a race in general?"

"Sounds reasonable to me," Bill replied, "Because sadly, it's true."

"Oh fine," Joy said, "A race in general."

"I think it'll be fun. I'm on," Bubble said and spread her wings as well.

"No dirty plays!" Bill announced, as if he was a referee, "And please play fair. Otherwise, anything goes!"

"Something about playing fair," Red said rapidly, "Onyourmarkgetsetgo!"

And with that, he blasted off like a bullet. Thankfully, the rest had more or less anticipated this, so his head start didn't last for more than a second.

"This should be interesting," TD called over the rush of the wind, "Two beings that can run at the speed of sound if not faster, two chaotic beings, four magical beings, and three spirits! All of us dodging whatever comes our way! We just have to be careful!"

"Yeah! Careful you don't cry when I win!" Twilight called, suddenly blasting off at a quicker pace, using her magic to enhance her speed.

"Oh, I don't think so, Twinkle Toes!" TD called after her, increasing his own speed, quickly catching up with her.

"Wohoo!" Joy shouted as he increased his speed, "That's the speed!" He said, looking towards the others.

"Don't be so sure, my sweetie!" Bubble said passing near to Joy, "I'm not gonna lose that easily."

A green and blue blur zipped past them momentarily, revealing Zach. He was flapping his wings incredibly fast, and they were glowing as well.

"Flight is my strong point, so good luck!" he called. Just as he said that, another streak, blonde in color, zipped through their bodies and Zach's like thin air, soon revealing itself to be Diana. Her horn was glowing and seemed to be pulling her through the air.

"It seems we all have our strengths and weaknesses," she laughed.

"Oh right!" Joy said as his wings started to blaze with red fire like aura and his speed started to increase, it was enough to catch up with Zach. "Hey there!" Joy said.

On the other hoof, Bubble tried to speed up as well. Her horn started to glow as her speed eventually began to increase. "Bubble try harder, you can fly faster," She said to herself while trying to catch up with Joy.

Meanwhile on the ground, Red and Bill seemed to be caught up with their own matches. Red was trying to keep his daughter and wife from passing him, while Bill and Flurry managed to get themselves into a friendly competition.

"You're losing your touch old fox!" Flurry called playfully as she teleported around a sharp corner, as she was unable to turn fast enough to take it on any other way. Bill simply smirked as he made a near 90 degree turn, making the same sharp turn with no problem.

"Not quite!" he called back as he passed, while she watched with her mouth and eyes wide open, "This old fox still has a few tricks up his sleeves!"

Just then, a red blur passed them both as Red came by on an impossibly fast skateboard.

"Rolling around at the speed of sound!" Red sang out, hotly pursued by the two sirens that made up his family.

Joy was increasing his speed to get pass Zach, when suddenly he was forced to slow down to save himself from tackling into a tree.

"Well, darn it."

Bubble chuckled to see this. Now she and Joy were at the same speed. "Careful my sweetie." She said playfully, "Don't get yourself hurt."

Red wasn't as lucky in that regard. "Oh, no brakesnobrakesnobrakes!" he screeched, trying to skid to a stop. He had dropped the skateboard a while back, as the wheels had burned off due to the friction involved. Despite his best efforts, Red crashed into the tree and stuck out halfway.

"I'm okay!" he called, as the others caught up. Flurry and Zach flew above the tree; Twilight and TD teleported on the other side of it; Diana phased through it like it wasn't there, not slowing down for a minute; Bill ran around it, using four 90 degree turns; and Sonata and Serena simply used their voices to destroy it completely. This released Red, who managed to somehow build a small house out of the wood before it hit the ground, and still manage to catch up again afterwards. Looking to others speeding up, Joy felt a little beat, so he charged his magic to speed up once again. This time, his wings became a little narrow at the joint corners and his speed increased, causing him to swiftly pass by Zach.

"Now it's much more fun!" Joy smirked, "Speed up!"

"Gladly," the pegaus called back, increasing his speed once more.

"Hey, we're tied so far!" Flurry noted as she came alongside them. It was true; all sides were neck-in-neck with each other and the finish line was up ahead. Or at least they assumed that's what it was, as it even had a large banner that said "Finish" on it.

"A little something I conjured up last second!" TD explained, "Step on the gas!"

All of them put on one last burst of speed, and with a large cloud of dust, they skidded to a stop across the finish line, barely aware of a flash that occurred when they did. They had been moving so fast, Twilight, Zach, TD, and Bill had to combine their powers together to keep the group from hitting another tree.

"Who- *pant* won?" Diana asked.

"I couldn't *pant* see anything," Bubble replied.

Joy who was trying to catch his breath spoke next. "No *pant* idea!" He chuckled, "TD..."

"I... got a picture taken," the human stated with exhaustion, "Let's *whew!* check that."

A picture appeared before them as they looked, and...

"Aww! We all tied!" Zach noted.

"Really Red?" Bill asked, glaring at the hedgehog, "How did you even have the time to pose for the picture?!"

Red's image on the picture was sporting a golden chain and sunglasses, and he was showing the "peace" sign.

"What can I say," Red replied, not even sounding winded, "I have a talent for that stuff."

"Hey, I just noticed," Bubble said, catching up her breath "Where are Tracker and Screwball?"

Joy realized this as well. "Right, I didn't see them either... since we entered the park."

TD looked around, then a smile crept over him.

"I think they want to be alone for now," he said, pointing to another tree farther off, where the two could be seen underneath its shade. As if to confirm what he said, a few flashes of light appeared near them, causing extra bushes to appear and conceal them more fully from the group.

"Well, that was fun!" Red announced, "Who's up for Chinese?"

"Will a picnic do?" TD asked, summoning a basket, "I already packed."

"Good idea!" Bubble said.

"I better go call Sunny and Bold here," Joy added, and went towards his children. In a few moments, Joy was back with Bold alongside him, while Sunny landed beside her mother. Bold was looking really happy for some reason.

"Joy, I think your son had too much fun," TD joked.

"Too much fun?" Red asked, "Ha! There's no such thing!"

"Famous last words," Bill muttered.

"He's always very happy when he comes to the park." Joy nuzzled him. "Beside, he told me that he made a new friend today." Bold nodded with a smile as Joy said this.

"Oh?" TD raised an eyebrow playfully, "Who is it?"

"Anypony we'd know?" Twilight asked.

"Doubtful," Bill stated, "Or at least in my case and Red's."

"You never know Bill," Red replied, "I tend to be more outgoing than you."

"That's because I actually have a responsibility," Bill shot back, earning a few shocked (but mostly amused) looks from the rest of the group.

"Her name is Sweet Melody," Joy replied, "She's the daughter of Octavia, and Octavia is somepony whom I knew since I was only ten years old."

"You know, the famous cello player," Bubble said.

"Somewhat," TD stated, "I think she was one of the instrumentalist players at me and Twi's wedding."

"That was a lovely moment," Red added.

"Uh, Red? You weren't there," TD said, arching an eyebrow. Red simply gave him a mysterious look and replied, "You don't know that."

"Creepy," Bubble muttered.

"You know Red, you act really... strange," Joy said, "No offense."

"Oh, none taken!" Red answered cheerfully, "If anything, I'll take it as a compliment."

"He's been like this since I first met him," Bill remarked.

"Anyways," Joy smiled with a shrug "A picnic it is?"

"Indeed!" TD agreed, opening up the basket. Inside were several sandwiches for each of them, a pitcher of lemonade, some cupcakes, and even a large umbrella that under normal circumstances should not have been able to fit inside the basket. But considering that TD was the one operating it, it wasn't too surprising.

"Um, should I wait until you guys are done?" Red asked, "I mean, just a reminder for those that know about my condition..."

"Han?" Joy gave him a doubtful look.

"Red doesn't require food or drink to survive," Bill explained bluntly as he laid out some of the refreshments, "He only really does it out of habit, because he wants to at least feel like he's normal."

"Oh, that's so," Joy said as he sat there along with his family. He was sitting beside Bubble with their children sitting beside him.

"Well, at least that allowed me to not die from malnourishment and sleep depravity that one time," Red exclaimed.

"I thought we had put that behind us," Twilight said with a glare.

"I think we were here on a fun picnic," Bubble chuckled, "But you can't do anything without freaking us out. Can you?"

"Probably not, no," Red agreed. He then took out an apple from the basket and gave it a bite. TD started to drink from his lemonade, but then it exploded in his face. When he could speak again, he looked to Twilight.

"Why do you still have that spell on the lemonade?" he asked, clearly annoyed.

Joy, Bubble, and their children chuckled at this, but took a brief moment to make sure that their's wasn't gonna explode before drinking their own lemonade.

"Don't worry, that only applies to Dad," Zach said reassuringly. As if on cue, his own lemonade exploded.

"Unless your sister duplicated the spell," Diana giggled.

"Good one Diana!" Sunny exclaimed as Bold only giggled.

"I swear, they're still kids mentally," TD noted.

"Maybe because that's how you act," Twilight said to him with an amused smile.

"True~" Joy said "And isn't that a good thing Twilight?"

"It is... for him and my children, maybe," she noted, "Not for most anypony else."

"Oh come on!" Red scolded her, "Now you're making me look bad!"

The couple smiled at this. They took some sandwiches for each of them and began to munch on it.

"Mmm they're tasty." Sunny said as she swallowed a bite.

Bold nodded with a smile as he was munching on his sandwich. Just then, a beeping noise sounded from TD and a female AI's voice said, "Pickup approaching in ten seconds."

"Oh boy," TD muttered, then louder, "I hope the other foals here don't freak when they see a large Timberwolf in the area."

"What was that?" Bubble asked.

"An alarm, if you must know," TD replied. He pointed with his finger and a portal opened up some ways away. Out of it dropped a Timberwolf, who took a good look around before doing something unexpected to onlookers: he barked playfully and wagged his tail.

"Yikes!" Sunny shouted and hid behind her father along with her little brother. "Dad, do something!" She shouted, "There's a monster in the park!"

Joy noticed that the foals in the area were really scared of that Timberwolf. Some mothers carried their children in intention to take them away from the danger. At last, Joy stood up and announced in his own loud voice, "Fear not ponies! He may look like a monster, but I assure you, you're safe around him."

Joy went towards the Timberwolf and pat him as he whimpered like a pet dog. To some ponies, it was a relief. Still others didn't feel quiet alright with a Timberwolf around their foals. Joy shrugged and came back to his family and gave them a sheepish smile.

"I knew something like that would happen," Bubble said.

"Hi Plank," Diana said kindly. Plank barked and gave her a lick, much to the mare's amusement.

"Everpony," Zach said, mostly addressing the foals in the area, "This is Plank. He may seem scary, but he's just like a big friendly puppy. He wants to meet you."

Plank looked to Sunny and Bold, giving a friendly whine as he slowly approached.

"Don't worry my foals," Bubble said reassuringly, "Plank isn't a monster, he's just like a big Puppy."

Sunny looked towards her mother in disbelief and then towards Plank. As he approached her, Sunny gathered some courage to touch him.

"See, he wouldn't hurt anypony," Bubble giggled.

Plank made a friendly growl, then he licked Sunny's face.

"Plank," Zach muttered with a sigh.

Sunny was still a little shocked at this, but after her mother's reassurance she wasn't that scared. Same wasn't for Bold, as he was younger than his sister and was a bit more scared. Suddenly, his horn started to glow and he accidentally made a forcefield around him.

"Whoa, slow down kiddo!" TD chuckled, using his own magic to cancel the forcefield. "Plank didn't mean to scare ya. Plus, that almost knocked me down."

"Am I the only one who's not surprised to see the Timberwolf?" Red asked.

"Nope," Serena replied, giving the Timberwolf a hug. Plank whined happily and gave her a few licks, causing the siren to laugh.

"Bold, don't get scared," Joy said to him, "See, he's not dangerous."

Bold placed his front hooves on his father's thigh and said, "Leally?"

Joy nodded as he caressed his mane. "Really,"

Then he smiled and looked towards the Timberwolf. "I'm solly!"

Plank gave a look that seemed to say, _"It's alright."_ He then walked over to Bold and gave a friendly growl.

So whenever Pinkie is coming here?" Bubble asked.

"Soon compadre," TD said. Suddenly, another portal opened and a black figure with a pink mane dropped out, followed by several other colorful figures.

"Ow! That's my wing!" Pinkie's voice came from the crowd of bodies.

"Get yer hoof outta my face!" a second voice shouted. TD looked stunned.

"AJ?" he asked, "Okay, who messed with the lab again?"

As soon as Joy looked towards Pinkie, he smiled. "Nice to see you here Pinkie."

"Hi Joy!" she said, struggling to free herself for a moment, "I accidentally brought a few friends with me."

"A few?" Bill asked, chuckling, "You brought all the Elements from your world! I'm surprised you didn't bring Celestia or Luna in the process."

Bubble looked towards the Elements of the other Equestria. They looked the same as the Elements in this world, but older. Joy waved his hand towards the other Equestria's Elements.

"Ugh!" Rarity huffed upon seeing Joy. "He's still wearing that atrocious clothing!"

"Ah thought ya was over that," Applejack said to her with a raised eyebrow.

"Hey guys! What's up?" Rainbow Dash asked. She was not only older like the majority of the group, but she also was wearing a Wonderbolt outfit; not just any Wonderbolt outfit, but one that might be seen on the leaders and coaches.

"Wow, I never thought I'd see another human besides TD," Fluttershy remarked. Unlike the rest of the Elements that had arrived, she actually looked the same age as the Fluttershy of Joy's Equestria. Now that Joy took a closer look, Changeling Pinkie looked only slightly older than his Pinkie Pie; while TD's Twilight, although much taller, looked the same age as his Twilight.

Joy raised an eye at Rarity's remark.

"Atrocious?" He chuckled. "This is my favorite T-shirt and jeans mind you," He said, but not rudely. "But anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you all once again."

"Well, howdy once again, Prince Joy!" Applejack greeted, "It's been too long since we last saw ya." She then noticed the floating Windago nearby and chuckled. "Figured. At the rate we have weird things happen back home, Ah'm not surprised."

Winter managed a laugh. "It tends to grow on you. My name's Cold Winter, but please, just call me Winter." He extended his hoof out to AJ, who shook it politely.

"Winter here is our good friend," Joy said, "He's a very nice Windago, as compared to the... rest of his kind."

"Just like Plank, it would seem," Fluttershy noted.

"I'm usually the more suspicious of the group," Rainbow Dash said, "but any friend of yours is a friend of mine too."

"It's good to know," Joy said to Rainbow.

"It's always nice to meet new ponies," Bubble giggled, "Even if they look exactly like the ones you already know."

"Guys, let me introduce you to my family," Joy said to them. "Bubble, my dear wife." Bubble raised her hoof and smiled, "My dearest daughter Sunny." Sunny waved a hoof towards them as she was floating beside her father. "And our most precious, my son Bold Heart," He said, as he grabbed both of his foals into a group hug.

"Aww!" the group all exclaimed at once.

"Look at 'em," Applejack said, "Ain't they just the cutest things?"

"They're adorable!" Rarity remarked.

"Wow, they're pretty cool," Rainbow stated.

"Congratulations to you two," Fluttershy said with a smile.

"Thanks everypony," Bubble said

"Is that a Wonderbolt costume?" Sunny exclaimed while she hovered towards Rainbow "Are you a Wonderbolt?!" Rainbow nodded with a proud smile "Wow, this is so amazing!"

Just then, Rarity noticed Bubble's wings and gasped.

"Sweet Celestia!" she exclaimed, examining them, "These are marvelous! What exactly did we miss?"

"Oh, you know," Red replied, catching the attention of the Equestrians, "The multiple failed attempts to invade or murder Joy and his family, the engagement, the wedding, and even the banishment of Ornos! And I was only here for the last one!"

"Did you HAVE to bring him along?" Rarity asked with a slight huff. Everyone just laughed.

"Good to see ya again, Red," Applejack said to him, then turned to his family, "And to you too, Serena and Sonata."

"My wings?" Bubble giggled at Rarity's earlier statement. "Oh yeah, I know but that's big responsibility. As the Princess of Hope, my duty is to spread goodwill among the ponies of Equestria."

"Princess of Hope?" Rarity was amazed.

"Makes sense to me," Pinkie stated, "After all, you gave us all hope when you refused to back down against Ornos and his meanies."

"Then what does that make me? The sorry sap that cleans up the mess?" TD joked, a humorous expression on his face. They chuckled at this, then Bubble loomed towards TD.

"Sorry William, what you did for our world is important to us more than you know," She stated, "As for me, being a Princess wasn't the best thing in my life, but I don't deny the new things life has to offer me."

"Well, that's reassuring," Bill remarked.

"Hey, are we on for a party tonight?" Red asked, "I'm dying to perform in front of a live audience tonight!"

This seemed to catch Serena's attention. "Oh, that's right! I promised you guys front-row seats if we did something like that!"

"That's a good idea!" Joy exclaimed while Sunny and Bold nodded.

"Great!" TD said, "Problem though. Tia and Lulu are definitely gonna need the warning."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! Luna's Royal voice suddenly boomed around them. TD sighed and picked up a megaphone and then spoke into it.

"Not you, Luna!" he called, "Your counterpart!" He then made the megaphone disappear in a flash of light.

"Alright!" Joy said, "Mother will be here in a while, but I doubt Aunt Luna will be waking up before evening."

"Good, because in my opinion, concerts are better at night," Red stated. "Gives me an excuse to use all those big lights and such. And who knows? I might be able to pull off a few comedy favors for all you good boys and girls. Or colts and fillies in your tongue."

"Okay!" Joy exclaimed.

"That'll be wonderful!" Sunny said as she clapped her hooves.

"I'll start preparing then," Red shouted dramatically, then took off like a speeding bullet. He suddenly returned and asked, "Actually, where do you guys want it to be held? You know, in regards to space?"

"How about the gardens?" Bubble suggested "There isn't any noble get-together tonight, so we can have all of the garden for ourselves."

"Perfect!" Red took off yet again, this time presumably gone for good.

"And he's gonna be occupied for the rest of the day," Bill chuckled. "Hopefully, he's as good at comedy as he was when I first met him."

"Dad's always good at that. And singing," Serena defended her father.

"I love to sing too," Bubble said, "So I guess, I'll also be taking part in the performance."

"We can get a place for you," Sonata replied, "But what to perform is the biggest problem."

TD smiled and got a mischievous look. "Well, you're in luck. Uncle William can whip up just about any song in existence, if given the time, opportunity, and dimensional jump."

"That's nice," Bubble said, "I'm eagerly waiting for tonight now."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Rainbow Dash asked, "Fast forward time or something!"

"Can't," TD stated, "Too risky right now. But, you could help with the preparations. We're most likely gonna need refreshments for herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores. Also, I think Joy and Bubble would like to invite their own friends, would they not?"

"Of course!" Joy said "But it'll be a little odd for us to see two versions of the same ponies. But anyways, we'll call our friends."

"I can always fix that," TD replied. "Whether by spell or simply having them wear a hat to tell them apart."

"That'd be better." Joy replied.

"Yeah, it'll be a little less strange that way." Bubble giggled

"Don't try the hats," Twilight suggested.

"Yeah, the last time we tried that, Pinkie messed us all up with her shape-shifting," Rainbow explained.

"It took me forever to try and explain things to the onlookers!" Rarity grumbled.

Bubble giggled. "Then... any simple way to differentiate them would be fine which doesn't involve said problems."

"Then spells it is," Twilight nodded, "That's something she can't replicate."

"Although she's really good at acting," Fluttershy noted, "Mostly out of necessity as a filly."

"I don't think that would be a problem," Joy said as Bubble nodded in reassurance.

"Then I guess all I need to do is tell Tia when I get the chance," TD stated, "Starting... now."

A fiery mushroom cloud engulfed him that surprisingly didn't harm the area around him, and when it cleared TD was gone.

"Guess we know where he's going," Bill muttered.

* * *

Celestia decended from above in front of the Palace's main gate. That social gathering was exhausting! Now she was thinking of spending a good deal of time with her son and grandfoals. But right as she entered, a blood-red figure flew down the halls in front of her face, crying out.

"Why'd I choose that way to teleport!?" the figure shouted helplessly, crashing into a wall like a rag-doll. After a moment, the figure then rushed back over to her at the speed of lightning and revealed itself to be TD in pony form.

"Hey Tia," he said with a groan of pain, "Sorry about your wall."

Celestia gave him a surprised look with a confused expression. Then she giggled.

"You're pardoned," She said, "What brought you here? I hope everything is fine."

"Everything's great!" TD replied, "The reason I came over this time is for a bit of a party or get-together. No more 'we're all gonna die' senarios. But, I felt it was only fair to warn you that we'd possibly be gathering quite a crowd."

"Oh," Celestia smiled. "That's great news. And a get together you say? You have my permission to do so, but maybe not right now."

"Oh, of course not now," TD stated, "We were thinking later at sunset or something, so Lulu can join in on the fun. Also," he leaned over to her and whispered, "If you see a red hedgehog running about this place at the speed of sound, that'd be Red. He's preparing already, and once he starts it's hard to stop him."

As if on cue, a red blur suddenly raced past them shouting, "Heyguysgetoutofthewayseeyalater!"

Celestia was surprised once again at this. She looked towards TD and said, "Okay~" She giggled. "I'll be going back to my chambers for a while. Will you be kind enough to send my Joy and his family over there?"

"With pleasure," TD replied, "Say, do you want it to be instant, or do you want them to come the long way?"

Celestia was silent for a moment then she spoke, "If you can do this... instantly would be fine."

"Done," TD stated. With a glow of his horn, the entire group suddenly appeared beside him. Screwball and Tracker had also been pulled along, and seemed to have just managed to compose themselves in time.

"Dude, a little warning next time?" Bill asked, having found himself and Flurry accidentally bumping into each other.

"Joy~" Celestia called to him, opening her front hooves for a hug. Joy smiled and went towards his mother along with his wife and foals and gave her a big group hug. Celestia kissed him and his foals on forehead. "Hope your day is going great."

"Of course mom," Bubble replied as Joy nodded.

"It's good to know," She said as she released them from the hug. Then Celestia saw another quite unfamiliar, yet also surprisingly familiar face. "Flurry?"

Flurry smiled. "It's me. Or at least, the alternate version of me."

"You look so much like your mother," Celestia said in awe.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Zach joked, "But I will admit that Cousin Flurry is a knockout."

"Careful Zachary," Flurry replied teasingly, "Sugar Plum might get jealous."

"Sugar Plum?" Bubble said "Is she... oh my gosh, she is Zach's marefriend! Right?" Bubble said with a bit of excitement in her tone.

Celestia giggled and looked towards her son and his family.

"Now my Joy, I can really use my stress relieving cushion for a while," She said. Joy blushed as he heard that old nickname his mother gave him since he was a foal. Bubble giggled at this.

"Of course mama," Joy said.

"Stress cushion?" Bill smiled. "Well, I've heard more embarrassing nicknames."

Screwball laughed, "What? Are you going to use a spell to turn him into an actual cushion?"

"See you in a while my little ponies," Celestia said to the others as she went towards her chambers, while Joy along with Bubble and their foals went along him.

"We'll just be preparing," TD stated, "And causing some trouble for ourselves in some ca- Ow! Nevermind!" He shouted, as Twilight pulled on his ear with her magic.

* * *

"Stand by for sushi!" TD shouted as he stood on a large stage in the gardens. Somehow, Red had managed to build the entire thing by himself in less than half the time a professional team of Equestrian builders would've done. Now, TD was standing in front of a portal that was about to throw someone out onto their side while the others were busy getting introduced to their counter parts.

"This. Is. Awesome!" Rainbow said as she looked towards her alternate version.

"Pretty wierd if ya ask me," Both Applejacks said as they looked towards each other.

"Oh... umm!" Fluttershy was a little confused as well. "How... are you?" She was acting really shy now.

"I'm... umm fine, and... you?" the other Fluttershy asked.

"My words!" Both Raritys said in unison. "Such elegance, such style!"

The two Pinkie Pies were busy being themselves. Pony Pinkie was booping Changeling Pinkie's muzzle while she was transforming into a new form again and again.

"Nice to see you again Princess Twilight," the Twilight of Joy's world said to her counterpart, while the Starlight of Joy's world was looking really confused. She was looking between both Twilights again and again.

"That's really weird," she at last admitted while rubbing her mane with her hoof.

"You think that's weird, think again," another voice replied to her, which so happened to be TD's version of Starlight, "Nothing's more weird to me than seeing myself in another world." She chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm just as confused."

"Wow," Starlight said while looking towards the other version of her, "Now that's something... new."

"You think that's gonna be surprising, wait until Discord sees his own alternate self," the other Starlight stated.

"Next package: one Spirit of Chaos!" TD called from the portal, as the draconequus in question dropped out.

"Next time I'll take the elevator," he grumbled, brushing the dirt off himself.

"It is nice to see you too, Discord," TD laughed.

"It's been a while since I saw you," Joy's version of Discord suddenly appeared in front of the other. "Discord!" He shouted.

"Hello Discord!" the other greeted, shaking his paw. "It's so good to see you again!"

"Wait, you two know each other?" Red asked.

"Discord may have alternate versions of himself, but he tends to keep in touch with them," TD explained, "And they might even share the same memories, despite what path they've chosen."

"Exactly!" Discord of Joy's world exclaimed with a chuckle.

"Congrats TD," Red muttered, "You've officially made this more confusing than finding a needle in a haystack. I should know, because I literally had to do that once."

"Relax," TD stated. He then brought up a microphone and spoke into it. "Can y'all hear me? Testing, one two three!"

All who were there looked towards TD at this.

"Okay, all creatures from my Equestria, please stand to my right!"

The group obliged and TD then fired a beam of magic that encased them all in an aura bubble. After a few seconds, the bubble disappeared and TD smiled.

"There. Now you can tell who's from what universe," he explained.

"Thank goodness," one of the Raritys remarked, "I almost started speaking to the wrong Rainbow Dash."

Some of the creatures giggled at this.

"I know, right?" Pinkie exclaimed, "I was talking to myself!"

"Well, now that's out of the way," TD said, "I think it's safe to assume that we won't have as much confusion here on out."

"Is this everyone?" Red asked, looking at the small group before them.

"What? Would you also prefer a Changeling hive?" TD asked sarcastically, but it caused Changeling Pinkie to get a thoughtful expression. Joy looked around and saw his mother, and his dear aunt, family and all the other friends were there.

"Yep, that's everyone."

"Indeed!" Bubble nodded.

Red was silent for a moment, then replied cheerfully, "Well, I guess it'll do! Who's ready for a blast?"

"We are!" A shout arose from most of the crowd.

"Then let's do this!" he shouted. All the crowd cheered once again except the Fluttershys who spoke after the crowd was silent.

"Yay!"

Red stepped back a bit and pulled a top hat out of nowhere and placed it on his head. As if that was an unspoken signal, Bill, Serena, Sonata, TD and his Twilight all headed for the backstage. The lights dimmed, reduced to a simple spotlight on Red's image. He took a deep breath and snapped his fingers. Almost immediately, the music began.

 **Unseen vocals:** _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_  
 _Whoa_

Music was all around them, so they started rock along with the beat.

"Yeah!" Joy called, "Whoo!"

"Awesome beat!" Bubble shouted. The others were also enjoying the music as well. Some of them were a little loud, and some were just enjoying otherwise.

 **Red:** _Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for (woah)  
Been searching in the dark, your sweat soaking through the floor (woah)_  
 _And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore_  
 _Taking your breath, stealing your mind_  
 _And all that was real is left behind_

 _Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya_  
 _It's only this moment, don't care what comes after_  
 _Your fever dream, can't you see it getting closer?_  
 _Just surrender 'cause you feel the feeling taking over_  
 _It's fire, it's freedom, it's flooding open_  
 _It's a preacher in the pulpit and you'll find devotion_  
 _There's something breaking at the brick of every wall  
It's holding a_ _ll that you know_  
 _So tell me do you wanna go?_

Suddenly, many other figures appeared on stage with him. Twilight, TD, Serena, Sonata and Bill could be seen, along with Flurry. But with them were a few other creatures that appeared to some from Bill and Red's world, each a different species and each in a different outfit. They started to perform many different acrobatics, dances, and even some airborne stunts for the flying types. One female fox seemed to have a jetpack of some kind and she tended to stay close to Bill. As the newcomers performed their acts, they joined Red in the song.

 **All:** _Where it's covered in all the colored lights_  
 _Where the runaways are running the night_  
 _Impossible comes true,_ **Red:** _I_ _t's taking over you_  
 **All:** _Oh, this is the greatest show!_  
 **Red:** _We light it up, we won't come down_  
 **All:** _And the sun can't stop us now_  
 **Red:** _Watching it come true, it's taking over you_  
 **All:** _Oh, this is the greatest show_

 _(Whoa!) **  
**_ **Bill:** _Colossal we come these renegades in the ring  
_ _(Whoa!)_ **Red:** _Where the lost get found in the crown of the circus king_

 **All:** _Don't fight it, it's coming for you, running at ya_  
 _It's only this moment, don't care what comes after_  
 _It's blinding, outshining anything that you know_  
 _Just surrender 'cause you're calling and you wanna go_

 _Where it's covered in all the colored lights_  
 _Where the runaways are running the night_  
 _Impossible comes true,_ **TD:** _I_ _ntoxicating_ _you_  
 **All:** _Oh, this is the greatest show_  
 _We light it up, we won't come down_  
 _And the sun can't stop us now_  
 **TD:** _Watching it come true,_ **All:** _It's taking over you_  
 _Oh, this is the greatest show!_

 **Red:** _It's everything you ever want_  
 _It's everything you ever need_  
 _And it's here right in front of you_  
 _This is where you wanna be (this is where you wanna be)_  
 _It's everything you ever want_  
 _It's everything you ever need_  
 _And it's here right in front of you_  
 _This is where you wanna be_

 **Serena:** _This is where you wanna be!_

 **Cast:** _When it's covered in all the colored lights_  
 _Where the runaways are running the night_  
 _Impossible comes true, it's taking over you_  
 _Oh, this is the greatest show!_

 _We light it up, we won't come down_  
 _And the sun can't stop us now_  
 _Watching it come true, it's taking over you_

 **Bill:** _This is the greatest show!_

 **All:** _When it's covered in all the colored lights_  
 _Where the runaways are running the_ night  
 **Bill and Flurry:** _Impossible comes true, it's taking over_ you  
 **All:** _Oh, this is the greatest show_  
 _We light it up, we won't come down_  
 _And the walls can't stop us now_ (TD actually does an impressive falsetto here)  
 _I'm watching it come true, it's taking over you_  
 _Oh, this is the greatest show!_

 **TD and Twilight:** _'Cause everything you want is right in front of you_  
 _And you see the impossible is coming true_  
 _And the walls can't stop us (now) now, yeah!_

 **All:** _This is the greatest show (oh!)_  
 _This is the greatest show (Oh!)_  
 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_  
 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_  
 _This is the greatest show (Oh!)_  
 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_  
 _(This is the greatest show)_  
 _This is the greatest show (oh!)_

 _This is the greatest show!_

The shouts and appluase arose from all around the garden. The song that Red and the crew sang was really amazing.

"Amazing!" Joy shouted, "Truly amazing!"

Bubble was also amazed. "My words! Those voices are wonderful!"

Red and those on stage bowed, then they left as Red came over to the microphone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fillies and gentlecolts!" Red greeted, "Senors and senoras, all creatures great and small! Welcome to this special occasion we have going here tonight! How's everyone doing?"

He pointed the microphone out to the crowd, and a series of cheers rose up. Red looked up at one particular scream of joy and laughed a bit.

"I think somepony sat on a pin over there," he noted, pointing to the right wing of the crowd. A couple laughs occurred.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Discord asked the other Discord.

"I don't know. Maybe?" The other replied.

Red chuckled. "Well, I've recently been traveling far and wide, and I came across yet another pony who looks very much like a friend of ours." He reached behind him and pulled out a very-realistic looking Twilight puppet, complete with wings. "This is Mini Twilight. Say hello, Mini Twilight."

"Hello Mini Twilight," Twilight's voice came from the puppet. A collection of laughs and "whoas" were heard, as Red hadn't even moved his lips at all. Plus, the voice was one-hundred percent accurate. Bubble chuckled as she looked towards the Princess Twilight of her Equestria. She shrugged and giggled lightly.

"Nice try!" Twilight said with a chuckle, "But I don't sound like that."

"You bet you do!" Joy said and laughed. Celestia and Luna also chuckled as they looked towards a frustrated Twilight, as well as the other Elements, except Fluttershy who just smiled cutely.

"So recently," Red continued, "I had a discussion with some folks who had gotten rich through either their inheritance or maybe winning the lottery. They all seemed to have one thing in common: not knowing what to do with all of it. Tell us, Mini Twilight," he spoke to his puppet. "What would you do with all that money?"

"Well for starters," Mini Twilight stated, "I'd probably buy every single Starswirl book I could get my hooves on. Also, I'd hire a better ventriloquist. Your lips are moving."

It was true. For that entire section, Red had been pretending to try not to move his lips and failing. The Elements and Princesses giggled once again. And as for the exoticism of the act, they never thought Twilight could look that funny as a puppet. Sunny and Bold were also laughing along with their parents.

"But seriously," Red spoke again, this time with a perfect Discord voice, "As much as we all like our friends, we can't help but be a constant nuisance to them, can we? I mean, who brings up a musical montage over a single glass of water all for the sake of making Twilight blow a fuse?" He mimicked hatching a devious scheme, still using Discord's voice. "What could I do to make her day absolutely horrible? Oh, I know! I'll pretend to be sick and do a musical montage over a glass of water! Genius!"

"Cadence told me what happened that day." Joy said with a chuckle, while looking towards the two Discords, "It makes me sad to know that your plan backfired that badly."

Bubble chuckled at this, and Twilight also couldn't help but break into laughter.

"I hate to admit it, but what the hedgehog said is true," one Discord stated, "It pretty much happened that way."

"How is he able to get my voice so spot on?" the other asked. "Does he have some kind of Chaos magic he's hiding from us?"

Red smiled as he chose his next target.

"Joy Star," he began.

"Uh oh!" Screwball giggled from the crowd as she looked to Joy. "Prepare yourself."

"We actually have you to thank for making this possible in the first place," Red pointed out. "After all, had you not decided to recklessly try to banish Discord from this Equestria, we never would've gotten together. Although," he giggled, "I can only imagine what you were thinking at the time." He put on Joy's voice. "Okay, so I have no friends, no backup, no real plan of action really. Just a scroll and way too-reckless bravery. What could possibly go wrong? It's not like Discord could reflect the spell and have it hit me instead!"

"You really did that!?" Rainbow asked Joy.

"What were you thinking, dude?" The other Rainbow asked with a chuckle.

"Probably nothin!" Both Applejacks said as they passed Joy a sarcastic smile. The Princesses giggled at this as they looked towards their dear child. Joy bit his tongue and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah," he chuckled, "That was quiet silly of me."

"Quiet silly?" Twilight asked with a giggle, "That was an absolutely stupid thing to do!"

Bubble nodded as she gave Joy a mocking look. "That's true."

"My father is so brave!" Sunny said with a giggle and hugged her father. "Right little bro?" Bold nodded with a cute smile.

"Alright, I think I've made fun of you guys long enough... for now," Red said with a wink. "Now, what do ya say we get our boogie on?"

Shouts raised once again with the loud voice of an audience plus the the sound of clapping hooves.

"Okay, then let's try a nice song that I think may do the trick," he said, "And the one singing it tonight is none other than my daughter, the lovely Siren of two worlds, Serena!"

Serena walked up on the stage as Red gave her the microphone and she smiled as the crowd cheered for her. Cold Winter especially seemed to be cheering the loudest. Bubble and Joy waved towards Serena with a cheering smile on their faces. Serena waved back, then began:

 **Serena:** _Everybody's got a thing_  
 _But some don't know how to handle it_  
 _Always reachin' out in vain_  
 _Just taking the things not worth having but_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama_  
 _'Cause I'll be standing on the side_  
 _When you check it out_

 _They say your style of life's a drag_  
 _And that you must go other places_  
 _But just don't you feel too bad_  
 _When you get fooled by smiling faces but_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama_  
 _'Cause I'll be standing on the side_  
 _When you check it out_

 _When you get it off your trip_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_

 _Everybody needs a change_  
 _A chance to check out the new_  
 _But you're the only one to see_  
 _The changes you take yourself through_

 _*vocalizing section*_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing_  
 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama_  
 _'Cause I'll be standing on the side_  
 _When you check it out_

 _When you get it off your trip_

 _Don't you worry 'bout a thing  
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama  
'Cause I'll be standing on the side  
When you check it out_

 _Don't you worry  
Don't you worry 'bout a thing, mama  
'Cause I'll be standing, I'll be standing for you_

 _*vocalizing*_

 _Don't you worry about a thing!_

Almost everypony enjoyed every single word of it. Cheers and applause rose from the audience once again as she finished the song.

"Thank you," she said into the mic, as Red soon joined her on stage.

"That's my girl," they heard him say and gave her a hug. A collection of "aww"s rang out from the crowd. Red then released her and walked back up to the mic.

"I'm not sure how many of you enjoyed that as much as I did," he spoke, "but that was beautiful. Now, for this next one, I need two volunteers from the audience. Even the children may participate. Anyone?"

In the sudden moment of excitement, Joy raised his hand. As it was obvious, Bubble also raised her hoof.

"Joy! Bubble! Come on up here!" Red called. They walked up on stage amidst the cheers of their friends. Once on the stage, Red said to them, "Okay, one of you stand on my left and another on my right." They did as he said. "Now, when I go down, you stay up; when I go up you go down." He demonstrated a bit by bobbing up and down, the two of them following his instructions from earlier.

"Good!" he congratulated, "Now, I'm gonna ask you, have you ever been to a musical before?"

"Yes... but it's been like a really long time." Bubble replied. Joy nodded.

"Really?" Red asked, "What was it called?"

As he spoke, music could be heard playing in the background.

"I think it was one of the Nightmare Night plays," Bubble replied. "I don't remember the name clearly." She giggled.

"Nice!" Red commented, "But what I find funny about musicals is..."

Suddenly, the music started playing in tune and Red started singing.

 **Red:** _When you go and see a musical, some guy will just start belting out a song  
(Start belting out a song)  
Apparently, it's not unusual. In fact, the band will start to play along.  
_ _And then, the music swells up and the lights will change_

As he sang, the elements he spoke about happened just as he sang them. Several laughs could be heard from the crowd because of that.

"Interesting!" Joy exclaimed.

"How- oh never mind, silly me," Bubble said. Red's response was to start doing his bobbing dance he had taught them and they followed suit.

 **Red:** _This is a musical, and we're doing a dance  
Thank god it's not Chicago, or we'd pee in our pants  
This is a musical, we're the talk of the town  
Our choreographer has made us bob up and down_

 _This is a musical featuring Joy and Bubble!_

Joy and Bubble were having fun doing that bobbing dance. They also started to sing along him at this.

"Dad looks funny like this," Bold giggled.

"I know, right?" Sunny said to her brother. "Mom also looks pretty funny."

"He's just as cute as he was as a foal," Celestia said.

"Indeed, nephew Joy looks cute like this," Luna agreed with a giggle.

"Hey guys!" Red spoke to Bubble and Joy.

"Yes?" They asked.

 **Red:** _When you're starring in a musical, it's important that you can sing!  
Whoa, whoa, whoa!  
But guys, that ain't the only thing, oh no!  
_

Red pulled out a hat and tiara, and placed it on their heads respectively, then pulled out a hat for himself.

 **Red:** _You gotta dress up right for the open night  
And with a costume, you'll feel like a king!_

 _Or a queen..._

 _This is a musical, and we're wearing our hats  
Because this is a musical, we don't look like prats  
_

 _This is a musical featuring Joy and Bubble!_

"Now audience! Double claps, come on!"

The claps were rose from the crowd along with some cheers from their foals and the Elements of their world.

"Aww! Even Discord is doing it!" Red cheered. Then he looked to the side as other performers joined them. "Uh oh! Put your arm/hoof around me, 'cause I think we're hitting an ending dance!"

They wrapped an arm around each other and started kicking their legs out as part of the dance. The key also changed.

 **Red:** _This is a musical, and we're changing the key!  
I don't know why we did that, now it's too high for me  
We'll do whatever our director plans  
We're operaing like idiots, we're doing just hands!_

 _This is a musical featuring Joy! And, Bubble!_

 _HEY!_

At the end, Red took off his hat and threw it into the crowd.

"Yay!" Bubble and Joy both shouted before catching their breaths. They chuckled and looked towards the crowd with a look of gratitude. The crowd was cheering loudly and stomping their feet as they applauded the group.

"Wow!" Bill shouted, walking up on the stage, "What a show! And he featured Bubble and Joy too! Give them another round of applause!"

Joy and Bubble held each other's hoof and hand while they bowed towards the crowd. And another round of claps and stomps was given to them.

"Thank you so much everypony," Joy said, "Dear mother, aunt Luna, my dear foals, and each and every pony, I love you all."

"You all are the best," Bubble added.

"Well, let's make sure Red doesn't hog all the fun," Bill chuckled. "The stage is open for any suggestions for any performers. Trust me, we're good at coming up with things on the fly."

Several voices shouted out at once, and Bill seemed rather interested in one suggestion.

"Celestia?" he asked, then smirked, "Which one?"

Princess Celestia looked at him with a confused expression, while the others also looked towards him with expressions of surprise and such.

Bill smiled and then announced, "Please welcome our surprise guest from TD's Equestria, an alternate version of somepony you may be very familiar with, Princess Celestia!"

A curtain behind him opened up and another Princess Celestia stepped out in front of the crowd. The elements of Joy's Equestria, Bubble, and Joy himself was really surprised to see this.

"Anothel Glandma Tia?" Bold asked while he looked towards her and then towards the Celestia of their world. Celestia wasn't looking much surprised, but a little amazed at this.

"Well, that's quite surprising!" Celestia said.

Bill looked to the Celestia onstage with him.

"It was his idea," he defended, pointing to TD.

"Guilty as charged, Tia!" TD called, "And I'm not sorry!"

The other Celestia giggled. "It's alright, William. Although next time, give Luna a warning please. She's probably wondering where I've gone."

"Nah! She'll know eventually," TD smirked.

"I've never been so confused in my whole life," Joy said while he looked towards his mother and then towards the Celestia of TD's world. "That's really... strange." He giggled. The Celestia onstage looked out at the crowd.

"Hello my little ponies, and their friends," she spoke, "I may not have expected much of this, but I have at least gotten a quick explanation on what's happening. So, I'll give it a shot. What do you say?"

A shout and a round of applause arose from crowd at this.

"This should be interesting," Luna said with a giggle. Bill handed the microphone to Celestia, who picked it up with her magic, then began:

 **Celestia:** _Sunrise_ , _sunrise  
Looks like morning in your eyes  
But the clock's held 9:15 for hours_

 _Sunrise, sunrise  
Couldn't tempt us if it tried  
'Cause the afternoon's already come and gone_

 _And I said  
Hooo, hooo, hooo  
To you_

 _Surprise, surprise  
Couldn't find it in your eyes  
But I'm sure it's written all over my face_

 _Surprise, surprise  
Never something I could hide  
When I see we made it through another day_

 _Then I say  
Hooo, hooo, hooo  
To you_

 _And now the night  
Will throw its cover down, ooo, on me again  
_ _Ooh, and if I'm right  
It's the only way to bring me back_

 _Hooo, hooo, hooo  
To you  
Hooo, yeah, hooo, hooo  
To you_

Everyone there enjoyed the song, but not as much as Joy, who really loved to hear his mother's singing voice. As the song ended, a round of stomps and claps was given. For Celestia, it felt pretty strange for her to clap for herself.

"Wonderful mom!" Joy shouted before realizing that she wasn't the same Celestia as his mother. He blushed and said, "I mean, Princess!"

The Celestia onstage giggled. "It's alright, Joy Star. I understand the confusion."

"TD, spell please!" Bill called. TD snapped his fingers, and it was as if Joy had been blind before. Now, he knew which Celestia was which, though how was unclear to him.

"Thank you TD," Joy said as Bubble giggled at this.

"No probs!" TD called back.

"Alrighty!" Red called out on the mic, somehow having swiped it from Bill, "I'm not sure if it's too early for this, but I'll say it anyways... Who's up for a dance fight?"

A few of the Elements raised their hooves to join in, while Joy was pretty confused. He loved to dance anyways, but he knew that he wasn't good enough to take part in such challenge.

"What's the matter my sweetie?" Bubble asked.

"Nothing at all. A dance fight should be interesting," Joy replied.

Red smiled. "Well, what if I told you that I am the King of Dance and I'm offering you the chance to take my crown from me?"

"My father has never lost a dance battle yet!" Serena added, coming up on the stage with him, "Will one of you be the first to top him? Let's find out! Who wants to come first?"

"Is that a challange?" Both Rainbow Dashes shouted, "I'm so in!"

Red and Serena gave each other a smirk, then Serena said, "Alright, show us what you've got, Auntie and double!"

So both Rainbow Dash did a hoof bump and went on the stage "Alright!"

The two pegasai nodded to a Mobian DJ nearby, who started playing a catchy tune. Both Rainbow Dashes immediately started pulling off some awesome dance moves, each seemed to be professionals at their craft. When they stopped, a round of applause could be heard from the audience.

"I didn't realize Rainbow Dash could dance!" Joy's Rarity remarked with genuine surprise.

"It was her dream once upon a time as a foal," TD's Rarity explained. "I only discovered it myself about twenty years ago."

"What a show!" Serena called, "Anyone wish to challenge that?"

"We do!" the two Pinkies shouted as they suddenly appeared on the stage "We want to challenge Rainbow Dash!"

"Okay, Pinkies!" Serena called to them, "Show us what you got!"

As expected, the DJ played another tune and the two started dancing to the music. However, they managed to pull off an equally elaborate show as the two Rainbow Dashes, including a special midair technique when the Changeling Pinkie transformed into her Changeling guise and flew about using her insect wings, with the other Pinkie performing a rapid tap dance while balancing on the former's shoulders. Needless to say, they earned a round of applause as well.

"Sweet!" Serena noted. "Which brings up the surprise of this dancing competition; it's a buddy system required tonight! So... who's next?"

"Joy why don't we go next?" Bubble asked.

"Hmm... actually I don't wanna go..." Joy said, "You know, I'm not that good at dancing-"

"C'mon!" Bubble pleaded, "It'll be fun."

Joy sighed with a chuckle. "Can't say no to this sweetheart, now can I?"."

They both raised their hand and hoof.

"I guess... we're next," Joy said.

"Joy Star and Bubble!" Serena smiled at the couple. "This just got a little more interesting. Show us what you can do, and have fun!"

Joy and Bubble fist danced individually. As a free spirit, Joy's dance moves were pretty random along with the music. But once he started to flow with the beat, then there was no more worry on his mind. Bubble was also pulling off some beautiful dance moves. Then they both looked towards each other and decided to take the dance to next level.

They both started to dance as a couple. Bubble stood on her hind legs and adjusted herself to her husband. So they danced along the music, as Joy grew his own wings and they flew above the stage. After doing some pretty beautiful moves in the air, they both came down with a little spin while they both were holding each other's hands and hooves. There was silence, then a round of applause as the crowd cheered the couple on. Joy and Bubble smiled at each other.

"I told you it'd be fun," Bubble giggled as she came down on all fours.

"Umm... yeah, I did have fun," Joy chuckled.

"Wow!" Serena seemed to be quite amazed, "You two are better than you give yourselves credit for! Anyone else?"

There was silence, then Flurry came up on the stage.

"I'll give it a try," she said, "But I don't have a partner."

Nearby, Bill was having a short whispered conversation with a female fox nearby. After a few seconds, he stepped up on the stage near to Flurry, flashing her a smile.

"Now you do, old friend," he said to her.

The sounds of cheers arose from the audience as Flurry and Bill came on the stage. Joy and Bubble also cheered for them loudly. After a moment of overcoming her surprise, Flurry smiled back at her friend and offered her hoof as the music played for them. Their dancing was perfectly in sync and they both performed beautifully. Bill even used his psychic powers to levitate himself into the air to compete with Flurry's flight, then the two pulled off a series of jaw-dropping aerial moves. There was a round of applause when they finished, landing back down on the stage.

"Beautiful!" Luna exclaimed "Truly beautiful!"

Princess Celestia clapped her hooves along with all the others, a cheerful smile on her face.

"Anypony else?" Serena asked. They all looked around in the audience. Nopony else seemed willing to compete.

"Well dad, looks like it's just you and me left," Serena said to Red. Red smirked.

"Come, my dear," he remarked playfully to his daughter, "Let's show them how it's done."

They walked to the center of the stage and pulled out some weird circular devices with several colors on it. There was also some kind of screen that appeared up above the stage for all to see. They were somewhat amazed at the large screen.

"Huge!" Sunny said.

"Wow, that's like... a big screen," Joy said in confusion.

"A little too big," Bubble giggled. Red and Serena looked to each other and grinned, then Red turned back to the crowd for a breif momment.

"These things we stand on are called hexodecimal color code systems," he explained, "Or a dance mat for experts for lack of a better word. Now, here's how it's gonna work. The screen will bring up a complex pattern for each of us to solve, whether individually or together, and we must perform them with as little mistakes as possible." He let his words sink in a bit before adding, "Believe it or not, these are quite popular back home."

"Why not!" Bubble remarked. "It looks pretty interesting."

Other ponies gasped with amazement at this.

"It's also programmed for each of us specifically," Serena added as the music started. Red's head was already bobbing in rhythm.

"Watch and learn..."

The screen started showing a complex pattern of colors from the pads as the music played, and the pads lit up, changing colors occasionally whenever they stepped on the color in question. However, what was more amazing was the moves the two pulled off. They danced so perfectly, so flawlessly, whether together or individually, even Discord was in awe at what he saw. It was clear now why Red was an inter-dimensional champion, and Serena may as well have been his rival. After the music had stopped, the crowd was speechless at what they had witnessed.

"I've... no idea what to say," the Twilight of Joy's Equestria spoke, "That was... unbelievable."

The other smiled in reassurance and eventually started to shout for father and daughter. Red and Serena bowed, then TD came up on the stage.

"Now it's time for head-to-head free for all!" he called out, "No dance mats this time, boys! Shake hands or hooves with your opponents and assume positions!"

They looked towards each other and did as TD said. Then waited for TD to begin.

"For a starter, we'll try this song," TD suggested, " _You're My Best Friend_ , by Nelson del Castillo. Oh, one last note! Magic is allowed to enhance your dancing if desired. Hit it!"

The music began to play and so did the dancing. It wasn't long before Team Rainbow Dash started encountering problems.

"This is so unfair!" one shouted to Red, "You started with the slow dance on purpose!"

"Hey, I'm not the one who picks the music," Red pointed out.

"Ugh!" the second Rainbow groaned. "This is too much!"

"Do you give up then?" TD asked with a grin.

"YES!" both Rainbows shouted at once. As they did, a buzzer noise was heard and the large screen from before brought up the list of dancers, and a red "x" crossed out their team. The music stopped right about then.

"One team down! Four to go!" TD laughed. "I'm enjoying this too much, folks!"

"Awe that's okay Rainbow!" One of the Pinkies said.

"Now who's ready for the next round?!" Shouted the other one.

"Next round, we'll try something a little more fast paced," TD smirked, "How about a nice tap dance?"

"I'm pretty sure he's just trying to get us all disqualified one by one," Flurry stated. Bill chuckled lightly at the comment.

"Whatever," Joy spoke as he looked towards Bubble. "We're not going to lose that easily!"

Bubble nodded in reassurance and both of them got ready for the next round. TD's smirk only grew larger.

"Eat your own words, you will," he said in a mysterious tone. "Play the music, DJ!"

The DJ started playing music again and TD seemed to get interested in what was playing.

"Ooo!" he exclaimed, " _Wake Me Up_ by Avicii! Thanks Admirer Boy!"

"Hang on, Flurry!" Bill shouted cheerfully as the dancing commenced, "This might be a bit fast!"

"Anyways," Bubble said, "We can handle this. Right my sweetie?"

"Of course!" Joy replied as they both got themselves ready to flow with the beat. The music got into swing and the groups all got into the feel of the music. However, this time all four teams seemed to hold out quite well.

"Drat!" TD remarked when the song ended, "I thought that would work! Oh well! There's still plenty more to go."

"William, for once play fair with the power you wield!" his Twilight shouted to him from the crowd teasingly.

Joy and Bubble were also enjoying the competetion and this new song as well.

"I like this song!" Joy said.

"It's quite interesting actually," Bubble replied.

"Hey Red, you may like this song!" TD called as the music started up again. It was Into The Groove by Madonna. Red smirked when he heard the song.

"Seriously?" he asked, he and Serena already getting into the groove (literally), "I listen to this song half the time I'm fighting crime!"

"Which means, we're screwed... right?" Flurry asked. To which Bill replied with a few impressive twirls with Flurry.

"Red's not the only one with talent," he said to her, earning a smile from the alicorn.

Joy and Bubble were dancing as a pair once again.

"Ready Bubble?" Joy asked.

"Ready Joy!" Bubble replied.

They both flew into the air once again, showing some of their best moves and twirling in the air. Red gave Serena a look that was clearly a code of some kind, and with a glow from the gem in her chest, the two suddenly levitated into the air, giving off their own series of airborne techniques. Bill and Flurry, not wanting to be left out, did the same, using their psychic powers or wings respectively. The Pinkies had apparently thought of the same idea, but hadn't planned ahead.

"How does he do it?!" the pony Pinkie asked in regards to Red as they tried and failed an airborne spin together. "He can't fly either!"

"Maybe I should've been the one higher up," the Changeling Pinkie remarked as the buzzer signaled their elimination.

"I love this job!" TD cried out joyously, "I should do this more often!"

Changeling Pinkie huffed and went back into audience. Pinkie Pie the pony smirked as she stood up on her seat.

"Go Joy!" She shouted. "Go Bubble! You can do this!"

TD gave an evil look. He clearly was enjoying this too much.

"Don't get your hope up too high," he cackled.

"And this is why I don't let him take charge of the training of the guards," TD's Celestia joked to her counterpart.

"One can always hope, right?" Pinkie shouted once again, this time pulling a flag out of nowhere. "You both can do this!" She shouted "Show them!"

TD grinned as he motioned to the DJ to pull up another song.

"I'm On My Way, from Proclaimers?" Bill remarked, "I can work with that."

"How aren't you collapsing with exhaustion?" Flurry asked him.

"High endurance levels, remember?" Bill explained. "By the way, you realize he said that magic's allowed to enhance your skills, right?"

"Oh..." Flurry's face turned red as she had not tried that before. Joy and Bubble smiled and looked at each other. Then they both looked towards Pinkie who was cheering for them.

"We'll do our best Pinkie!" Joy shouted as they started to dance along the beat once again. The dance off seemed evenly matched for a while, then Flurry started to tire after a moment and Bill gave her a grin.

"Too much strain?" he asked. She nodded and Bill looked to TD. "We resign."

"Boom! Another team down!" TD shouted gleefully, "Only two left! Who will win?" TD held up a hand for silence and then grinned again. "The final song will be a bit of a free dance. Impress us with your moves, and yes improv is allowed! Who will win the crown of Interdimensional Dancing Champion?! Let's find out..."

Bubble was now showing the signs of exhaustion. Joy only took a moment to notice that.

"Bubble, if you're tired then we can resign now," Joy said.

"No, my sweetie," Bubble replied as she fluffed open her wings, "I still can carry on."

Joy smiled. "You sure?"

Bubble nodded as she stood on her hind legs. Joy understood and they both started to flow with the music once again. The music came from a Gummy Bear song "Dancin' Dancin' (What I Need)," to which TD shrugged.

"Best one I could think of," he stated.

"It's fine Uncle!" Serena called, twirling around with Red.

"Okay, fine..." TD muttered, letting them continue. Even though it was clear that Bubble and maybe Joy were starting to tire rather quickly, they still managed to keep up with Red and Serena, who also seemed to start getting a little winded.

"He might just be the one..." they heard Red say aloud as they passed him during the song. They both were trying their best. But at last, Bubble went back on all fours, indicating that she was tired up. Joy looked towards her and asked. "Are you alright?"

She answered him with a smile, and standing up again she kissed him straight on his lips. As she did so, her horn started to glow and they both seemed to be shrouded in shiny purple aura. Then Bubble broke the kiss and said, "We can still carry on Joy! Okay?"

Joy was a little surprised but he smiled as well and said. "Right, my sweetheart."

"Uh, is that legal?" Red asked.

"You should know, you're the one who invented this challenge!" TD called back, "At the least, I know I'm keeping it."

It seemed that they used their inner aura to regain their stamina once again. After all, TD had allowed them to use magic. Sunny giggled to see this.

"I knew mom would do this," She said.

Red and Serena didn't seem to let this deter them and kept up their game. However, when the song ended, TD seemed to be in silent thought. After a moment, he looked to the audience.

"Ladies and gentlemen," he said aloud, "I've decided its a draw!"

"A draw?" Many of the audience said in unison before they looked towards each other, and then started to cheer and applause.

"It seems fair enough," Bubble said as she chuckled lightly.

Joy seemed to agree with her as he yawned, indicating that he was also a little winded up.

"Wow," Red remarked, coming over to shake Joy's hand, "You certainly know how to kill it on the dance floor. Congrats!"

"You're the first to rival him in over a century," Serena explained.

"It was a pleasure," Joy said, shaking hands with Red.

"You did very well too Serena," Bubble said.

"Okay people, we need a way to make the concert, if not the night, end beautifully," TD said into the microphone, "So... any volunteers?"

"Please tell me you're joking..." Screwball said from the crowd.

"I'm not," TD replied sheepishly.

"May I do the honors?" Bubble spoke. TD looked to her and smiled.

"Of course," he said.

"Bubble Heart has volunteered," Red spoke into the microphone, "Let's see what she has to offer."

Bubble came in front of the mic and cleared her throat. She smiled as she looked towards the audience.

"This song is dedicated to all of our friends here or anywhere else," She said as she signaled the DJ to play the music.

 **Bubble:** _A friend for life.  
That's what you are to me.  
A friend for life.  
That's what you are to me._

 _I couldn't see what was right there in front of me._  
 _Turned my back and my mind off track, yeah._  
 _You saw a world, there was something new entirely._  
 _Helped me to see all the possibilities._

 _Oh, like a star in the daylight_  
 _Oh, like a diamond at night_  
 _Your light was hidden, from my sight._

 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._  
 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._

 _Every friendship is tested_  
 _You say you're sincere; but it's all unclear now._  
 _But with a word, everything changes, and_  
 _Just like that, you and I are right back._

 _Oh, like a star in the daylight (star in the daylight)._  
 _Oh, like a diamond at night (diamond at night)._  
 _The light will shine, when the time is right._

 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._  
 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._

 _When I put my hand out, and_  
 _I thought I would fall._  
 _You knew what I needed, and_  
 _You came around to fix it all._

 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._  
 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me._  
 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me_  
 _(A star in the daylight)._  
 _A friend for life._  
 _That's what you are to me_  
 _(Like a diamond at night)._  
 _That's what you are to me._

Everyone applauded loudly for Bubble.

"Way to go, Bubs!" Screwball cheered.

"Such a melodious voice!" one Rarity cheered.

"Wahoo!" the two Pinkies shouted.

"A talent rare to find," Red commented, grinning at the alicorn.

"Thank you every pony," Bubble said as she bowed to the audience.

In response there were claps and cheers to hear from the audience.

"That's my most fevolite night," Bold said.

"Sounds like you really enjoyed yourself," TD's Twilight spoke to the young colt. "What was your favorite part of the performances?"

Bold felt a little confused, as they had asked him that question directly. "Umm... maybe... songs."

Twilight giggled. "I liked the dance off. Especially your parents' performance. You're a lucky colt to have such great parents, Bold Heart."

"Thank you," Bold blushed.

"Thank you Princess Twilight," Sunny said.

"Well, someone's getting quite acquainted with the next generation of this Equestria," TD joked, coming up to the group. He was still in human form, so he naturally towered above the three of them, forcing him to get down on one knee to place himself more on their level.

"You told me yourself once, I tend to be good with kids," Twilight replied to him, a smile crossing her face. In a moment, Joy and Bubble came over to them. Joy picked up his foals to give them a group hug along with Bubble.

"I hope you enjoyed the show my dears."

"We did daddy!" Sunny exclaimed as Bold nodded in reassurance.

TD chuckled. "Nice job Joy! You and Bubble killed it out there. I could've sworn that there were stars in the air around you two to show off how wonderful it was."

"That may have been my fault!" Screwball called, as she approached with Tracker, "I guess my emotions got the better of me and my chaos responded to it."

"Well, thanks Screwball," Bubble said, "It must have been beautiful."

"It was beautiful, mom," Sunny said. "I saw that."

"Aw, shucks!" Screwball blushed a bit in embarrassment, while Tracker gave a small smile.

"So, you guys coming to the wedding?" he asked, "You and your entire family are invited when it comes around."

"Of course, we're coming!" Joy exclaimed.

"How could I miss the wedding of my favorite couple?" Bubble asked in excitement.

"It's gonna be huge," TD nodded.

"Hey, where's that Windago friend of yours?!" Red's voice demanded as he rushed over to them, "And where's Serena?"

"She's your daughter, so you should know," Twilight stated, "Weren't you just with her a moment ago?"

"A lot can happen in the few minutes it takes for Bubble to finish her song," Red protested.

"They must be somewhere around in the gardens," Bubble suggested, "If not anywhere else."

Red turned his head towards the gardens, then without warning he rushed off in that direction at sound-breaking speeds.

"And this is why you never tell him who Serena may be dating," Sonata giggled, having heard the hedgehog's part of the conversation. She had changed her form somewhat; she looked the same outwardly, but in size she had somehow shrunk down to about Celestia's size.

"So, he's somehow overprotective of Serena?" Joy asked.

"My mother-in-law also used to be like this towards my sweetie." Bubble giggled. "That was before she came to know about our confession."

"Parents aren't the only ones who can be like that," Sonata remarked, "My sisters acted similarly when Red first started to reform me. They never tried for reformation themselves, last I checked, so it was more like they were trying to keep me on their side." She chuckled. "Still, they acted very much like he is now."

"I can understand this," Bubble replied her, "My family, except my mother and some aunts, were also not ready to let me marry Joy, especially my uncle Bright." Bubble huffed in anger as she mentioned his name. "Despite all his favors towards me and my mother, I'll never forgive him for insulting my sweetie, Joy." Then she shook her head and let her anger fade away. "Family members can be so mean sometime."

"You can't choose your heritage, but you can choose whether to follow in your family's footsteps," TD remarked. "Just because you were born to a rich dictator doesn't mean you have to become one yourself. You could instead choose to use your family's wealth to help others. It's all up to you."

"Thank you William," Bubble said.

Joy was silent for a while and at last he spoke.

"Bubble, I want you to know that I'll never force my opinions upon our foals," He said as he was still holding Bold and Sunny in his arms. "I'll let them made their own choices."

TD and Twilight smiled warmly at the sight, but their attention was soon diverted to a roar of some rockets as a new figure came over to them from the sky. It was one of the Mobians from before with the jetpack, more specifically the female fox that had spoken to Bill before his dance with Flurry, and now that they could see her more clearly, it seemed that the jetpack was actually a part of her body. She slowly lowered herself down before them and the jetpack disappeared into her back, as Bill Prower walked over to them as well.

"Always making an entrance, aren't we my dear?" Bill joked, then to his friends. "Everyone, meet my wife, Fiona Prower."

After a moment of silence, they went near to the couple. Joy waved his hand and said, "Hi Mrs. Prower, my name is Joy Star." Then he looked towards his wife and children. "And this is my dear family."

"Greetings Mrs. Prower," Bubble said.

"It's nice to meet you," Sunny spoke before noticing the metallic body parts of the female fox. "What happened to you?" Bubble gave Sunny a glare at this.

"You shouldn't speak to others like that," She said to her calmly. The female fox chuckled.

"It's quite alright," Fiona replied, "I'm over 70% robotic, so it's understandable that she'd be curious."

Her voice seemed to be somewhat odd too, almost like a robot voice, but with actual emotion detected in it, unlike the toneless bots that had been their enemies before.

"Anyways, it's a pleasure." Bubble extended her hoof.

"Likewise," Fiona said with a smile. "My husband has told me much about you and your own husband. It is an honor to meet you, Princess."

Bubble giggled at this. "No need for formalities between friends then."

"And I can only assume that these adorable foals are your children," Fiona noted, looking to Bold and Sunny. "What are your names, little ones?"

They both looked towards each other before looking towards her. They smiled as Sunny spoke.

"My name is Sunlight Blossom."

"Bold Healt," Bold said in a low voice.

"Fiona is fascinated by children," Bill explained to Joy and Bubble, "We've actually been thinking about having one of our own in the near future."

"It's... really good to know," Joy said.

"Mmmhmm!" Bubble nodded. "Foals are most beautiful thing in any married mare's life. In your case, I guess vixen would be the proper word." She said and giggled a little.

"That's accurate both figuratively and literally," Bill answered with a chuckle, "She certainly knows how to use her charms for the greater good. Or simply to make me feel uneasy."

"Yet you can't deny that you admire my charms," Fiona joked to him.

"It's part of the reason I'm with you today," Bill replied to her.

In a while the elements of both worlds also joined the conversation. They were talking about how good the show was and such.

"Tonight was marvelous!" one Rarity remarked.

"Quite a lovely performance," the other agreed.

"The dance off was a nice touch as well," TD's Rainbow Dash admitted.

"Still wish that the slow dance wasn't the first one they pulled on us," Joy's Rainbow muttered.

"Y'all are just jealous that ya didn't win," Joy's Applejack chuckled.

"They did fine for the first minutes though," the older Applejack commented.

"Mhm!" both Fluttershys nodded.

"Best. Party. Ever!" both Pinkies announced loudly.

"This has to be one of the best nights of my life," Joy's Twilight remarked.

"I admit, that was one of the best nights in my life," Bubble said.

"Me too!" Joy admitted.

"We three!" Sunny said for both herself and Bold.

It was then that Red came back to them.

"Well, it's official," he stated, trying to sound disappointed but with a smile in his eyes, "My daughter's dating an ice spirit."

"Really!?" Joy said somewhat in a sarcastic manner.

"You don't say?" Bubble added.

"Yep," Red continued, still putting on mock disappointment. "And when the grandkids come, I'll be the crazy grandpa whom the parents say to stay away from."

"I think they'd say that even without your 'disappointment'," Bill quipped.

That was enough to brake out a laugh from the group. How Red really felt about the situation, only he knew. But for the others, the situation was strangely funny.

"Hey, look on the bright side," TD joked, "At least you're not the one uncle that everyone is scared to visit because of how often he threatens your parents."

"Yeah Red, think about that." Joy chuckled.

"Isn't life really strange sometimes?" Bubble asked with a giggle.

"Yes it is," TD agreed, looking over to where his own children were having a conversation with some of the others who had arrived, "But I tend to like strange."

Just then, the Celestia from TD's Equestria walked over to them. Looking to Joy, she giggled a bit.

"It seems that my counterpart here has had quite the life-changer for her since you came into her life," she said to him. "Thank you Joy Star for giving her the most precious treasure she could ask for."

Joy blushed a little at this, then he remembered something he wanted to ask. "Princess, may I ask you something?"

"Of course," Celestia replied, "What do you wish to know?"

"Well, mom told me that I gave her the reason to look forward and smile again and because of me she felt like the happiest ponies in all of Equestria." Joy said, "I wanted to know, how did you manage to keep going in life, and even without a..." Joy was unable to say what he wanted to, but luckily he didn't have to.

"I think my Joy wants to ask, how did you spend your days of loneliness? And actually, I'm a little curious about this as well. I don't know if my life would have been the same without him." Joy's Celestia said as she nuzzled her son, having joined in on the conversation herself.

"What time are you referring to?" TD's Celestia asked. "Before or after I banished Nightmare Moon?"

"Hmm... after you banish Nightmare Moon!" Joy's mother said "I know my son came at the last moment as compared to thousand years but still..."

TD's Celestia smiled, a little sadness detected in her tone.

"In all honesty, I mostly had to rely on what little private time I earned with Twilight during that time," she noted. "But she could only do so much for me, and I was forced to go through the rest of her banishment alone." She sighed. "It took me many years before I could get over that, and even afterwards I was still lonely inside."

Joy's mother and Joy felt a little sad at this.

"I'm... really sorry. I didn't meant to make you... upset." She said "I can imagine how hard it had... been."

"You're quite alright," Celestia said reassuringly, "I've gotten over it more or less, and I soon received a little bundle of joy myself, when I became the aunt to my sister's first foal. Midnight Shade." She looked to Joy for a moment. "Diana may have told you about her?"

"Oh yeah," Joy said "She told me about Midnight once, she's the daughter of your sister and a pony named... Phantom I guess?"

"Phantom Void," Celestia nodded, "The son of King Sombra. He and Luna had met long before Sombra was defeated the first time. I can't tell for certain how long their relationship had lasted before his father's demise, but I'm glad that they did meet. He was perhaps the best thing to have ever happened to Luna." She smiled. "You see, they shared a kind of common bond. Both had a darker side to them that they didn't wish to set free upon ponykind. It allowed them to understand each other more."

"I am quite surprised!" Joy's mother said, "I do agree with you about common shared bond though." She giggled. "In this universe Luna never met him or at least that's what I know."

"And I'm glad that you have a foal that makes you feel happy," Joy added, "Mom really loves to play with her Grandfoals, so I can guess how happy that made you feel."

"I was quite happy," Celestia remarked, "Although, I'm not sure if Phantom Void exists in this Equestria. Unless..." She gave them a curious look. "Do you have a legend here on the Ghost of Equestria?"

"Ghost of Equestria?" Joy's mother said "I never heard of that legend before but we have a legend here about Nightmare."

"Well in my Equestria, that 'ghost' was Phantom Void," Celestia explained. "After Sombra's defeat, he placed himself into a kind of ghost-like form, half-asleep as he lay in wait for his father's return so he could help the Crystal Empire stand up against him. In this guise, he traveled the length of Equestria and beyond, helping others who were in need. Stories quickly spread about this 'Ghost of Equestria' and the name stuck. He was awoken twice before his final release; during Sombra's attempt to reclaim the Crystal Empire, and a final time when William had entered Equestria and was undergoing his own reformation."

"Oh, the legend of Nightmare is quiet the dark one," Joy's mother explained "It's said that she was the first unicorn to use to dark forces to achieve her uncouth purposes and also the first one to be corrupted by shadows as well." She explained. "It was until she was destroyed by an Alicorn using the power of Harmony's light which turned her into a mere shadowy being. But it's said that when night fells she tries to haunt the dream of ponies feeding on their fear and getting strength by envy, so that's why Luna had to watch over their dreams to protect them from the attack of Nightmare."

Celestia chuckled. "How surprised they'd probably be to know that it's not at all what happened. The only thing that probably comes close to that would be the Tantabus, and even then that was created by Luna herself as a form of self-punishment."

"It may be true, but still, legends are very interesting once you go into depth." Joy's mother agreed.

Celestia nodded, but before she could say more, a fake snoring sound was heard from TD nearby. Turning to look at him, they saw him pretending to be asleep at a kind of rip-off store that consisted of a single table and some overpriced objects.

"Zzzzz! Whoo whoo whoo whoo!" TD muttered in a fake sleeping voice, "So many bargains..."

"Sorry, we got a little carried away." Joy's mother giggled.

"No, I was interested," TD replied, causing everything to disappear. "I was just trying to warn you about how the viewers at home would feel if I let it drag on too long."

Celestia giggled. "William, you and I need to set a limit on how often you're allowed to break the Fourth Wall."

"No can do, Tia," TD chuckled.

"You mean like he always talking about how we're being watched from behind a unseen barrier?" Joy's mother asked, "Pinkie and Discord are good at this stuff too." She giggled.

"That's one way to put it," TD said, "And I'm not entirely sure, but I think Tia here has that same capability."

Celestia giggled. "That's my little secret."

"That's a thing I don't understand." the other giggled as well, "But anyways, I think we're being carried away again."

"I feel the same way," Bubble said, "Beside, I think the children are getting bored." She looked towards Sunny and Bold who were yawning out of boredom.

"Uh... fireworks!" TD called, throwing an orb of light into the sky. Soon, a marvelous display of fireworks lit up the sky. Everyone there looked towards the fireworks with amazement.

"That was interesting," Sunny said

"I know, light?" Bold nodded.

"Like I've seen fireworks, but this is beyond amazing!" TD commented, his image switching into Shaggy from the Scooby-Doo series.

"Who are you now?" Sunny asked. "You look so funny!"

"Shaggy" looked over to Sunny and got a look of fright.

"Zoinks!" he shouted, "Like, it's a talking pony!"

"That would be Shaggy, a popular character from a cartoon series back in his world," Twilight remarked.

"Mind telling me, what's a cartoon?" Joy asked.

"It's like a film, only the sole purpose of it is to inspire humor," Twilight explained, "This is achieved through many means, such as having the worst of luck occur with a character, tripping over absolutely nothing; basically, kinda like slapstick comedy most the time."

"I... get it." Joy said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"He didn't." Bubble giggled "He just trying to look smart in front of his foals."

"You might like it, you might not," TD remarked, returning his form to normal. "It depends on how you view it. I might show you one just to see how you'd take it and you can give me your opinion then."

"Sure, why not?" Joy said.

"That can be fun." Bubble added "What you say children?"

"Hmm... okay!" Sunny said, "Let's see."

TD chuckled, but then a beeping noise was heard and he gave them an apologetic look.

"I think it'll have to wait guys," he said, "Because it looks like our time here is coming to a close." He pulled out a megaphone and lifted it into the air before speaking into it.

"Mobians and residents of my Equestria, our time is running short. Say your goodbyes and start wrapping things up with your friends!"

"Awe, already?" Sunny complained.

"It's alright sweetie." Joy cooed his daughter, "Well, I can say I'd a lot of fun tonight," he said as he looked towards TD.

"Me too!" Sunny said. "Thanks for coming here uncle William!" Bold just smiled and looked towards TD.

"It was nice seeing you again William." Bubble said, "It was nice seeing all of you my friends."

"A pleasure as always," TD remarked. "All who wish to say goodbye to the Prince, form an ORDERLY line!"

Twilight chuckled. "You didn't have to stress the last part."

"Well Rainbow Dash," TD's Rainbow Dash said to her counterpart, "take care. I'll bet that you'll become the greatest Wonderbolt in this Equestria like I have in mine. Keep practicing and never give up!"

"Thanks! And you should know, I... we never give up." She replied, doing a hoof bump with her counter part.

"Well, it was quite lovely meeting you," TD's Rarity remarked to her own counterpart, "Even if you and I are technically the same pony."

"Same here!" Rarity replied, "It was quite an experience."

"Well, take care Fluttershy," TD's counterpart of the pony in question said to herself. "I wish only the best for you. Maybe you'll find somepony special in your life like I did."

"Thank you," Fluttershy replied bashfully "Umm... I wanted to umm ask... why you don't look older than me...? I mean if you don't mind, that is."

TD's Fluttershy smiled. "I thought you might ask. You see, as you may already know, I was married to Discord back in my Equestria. Well, Discord we found out is immortal and the only way we could stay together was if either he became mortal or I became immortal. Discord couldn't become mortal without upsetting the balance of Equestria, as he is the physical embodiment of Chaos. So, you can probably guess which choice was made."

"Oohhh..." Fluttershy said "Now, I get it..."

"I still can't get over my excitement of meeting myself no matter how many times I visit," TD's Twilight stated to her doppelganger.

"Me too!" Twilight replied to her counter part "It's really nice to see myself." She giggled.

"Well, I'll cya around Twilight," the older alicorn nodded, giving her younger self a hug.

"So, do you think we'll ever see each other again?" TD's Starlight asked her alternate self, "I'd love to see what's different here from my own Equestria."

"I bet it's not less crazy here than your Equestria," Starlight told her counterpart and giggled. "I hope that we will see each other again."

"It's mighty strange seeing doubles," TD's Applejack said to herself, "But either way, Ah'm glad to have met ya."

"Yeah, it was pretty weird." Applejack replied to her counter part "But, as we see wierd things every once a week in Ponyville," she chuckled "I don't think it was that strange."

"Hey, ya wanna grab your Pinkie and mine for a bit?" TD's Applejack asked, "Ah wanna do a little song with ya. Y'all will know it."

"Sure thing!" Applejack replied and did as she was told by her counter part "What song ya wanna sing?"

She leaned over and whispered something into the ear of her counterpart, then looked over her shoulder.

"TD, come on! You're in this one too!"

"Wait, which one is it?" TD asked. As if on cue, the music for the song in question started to play. "No way! I love this song!"

"Come on Apples! Y'all know this one!" TD's Applejack hollered.

"Yeah!" both Pinkies shouted.

"Yeehaaaah!" Applejack started to sing:

 **Joy's AJ:** _We travel the road of generations_  
 _Joined by a common bond_  
 _We sing our song 'cross the pony nation_  
 _From Equestria and beyond_

 **TD and AJ:** _We're Apples forever, Apples together_  
 _We're family, but so much more_  
 _No matter what comes, we will face the weather_  
 _We're Apples to the core_

 _Eeyup!_

 **TD:** _There's no place that I'd rather be_  
 _Than travelin' with my family_  
 _Friends all around come to join and see_  
 _As we sing out across the land_

 **TD and both AJ's:** _We're Apples forever, Apples together_  
 _We're family, but so much more_  
 _No matter what comes, we will face the weather_  
 _We're Apples to the core_

 _Eeyup!_

 **TD's AJ:** _We're peas in a pod, we're thick as thieves_  
 _Any cliché you can throw at me_  
 _We're here for each other, through thick and thin_  
 _You're always welcome with your Apple kin_

 **Pony Pinkie:** _You're more fun than the color pink_  
 _Or balloons flying over your favorite_ drink  
 **Changeling Pinkie:** _The love I feel here is swim, not sink_  
 _As we party across this land_

 **All:** _We're Apples forever, Apples together_  
 _We're family, but so much more_  
 _No matter what comes, we will face the weather_  
 _We're Apples to the core!_

 _Eeyup!_

There was a short round of applause from those nearby that happened to hear when they had finished. After which, TD's Celestia looked to her own alternate self and the Prince that stood beside her.

"It was an honor to meet both of you," she said, "I hope to meet you again someday. Take care of each other until then."

"We will, Princess." Joy said "It was an honor to meet you." He said extending his hand towards her. Celestia smiled and moved on as Red came up next.

"Make way for the walking-talking plushie!" he joked as he walked over to Joy. Joy chuckled for a moment as he heard this.

"I doubt it's somepony else's plushie." Joy said as he looked towards his foals and then towards his wife. "My plushies are standing right beside me." Bubble giggled at this.

"That's a good one," Red nodded. "I'll miss you man. Take care till we meet again. And in case you wanna hug me..."

His quills drooped down his spine again in the manner that told them it was safe to hug him now.

"Here," Joy said, spreading his arms. Red walked into the hug and stayed there for a few seconds, then released Joy to look him in the eye.

"You ever need assistance, don't hesitate to give a call," he said, then rushed off to where Serena and Winter were standing nearby, having returned from the gardens. After a moment, the Siren in question approached them next.

"I really enjoyed getting to know you," she said, "And I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"We're gonna miss you too Serena," Bubble replied, "Take care."

The Siren nodded, then pulled them into a hug of her own.

"Ah great!" TD called from a distance tearfully, "Now I'm crying too!"

"I'm happy that all of you were here." Sunny said "My dad told me how you've helped us through out the time." She shed some tears while trying to wipe them with her hooves "I'm really gonna miss you guys."

"Aww..." TD, still crying, came over to the little filly and got down on his knees to look to her. "I'm really gonna miss you too, Sunny. Very much." He looked to Bold. "And you too, Bold."

"I will mish you too." Bold replied

"One last hug for ol' Uncle William?" TD offered, opening his arms to the two pony children before him. They both smiled and joined him in a group hug. TD held them tightly for a good half minute, then he released them and stood to his full height.

"Take care, all of you," he said to the family before him, "I can't tell all the future, but what I can tell you is this: tonight was simply the end of a single chapter in your life. Your adventures, especially for the youngest among you, are just beginning."

He smiled and walked over to Joy's Mother next.

"Tia," he said, "Keep an eye on him if you wish. And never forget something about him that my time as a parent has taught me about my own kids." He cast another look in the direction of Diana and Zach, who were giving their own goodbyes to Joy and Bubble. "No matter how old your child gets, he'll always be your baby. Your little Joy."

At this she looked towards her son and smiled. "Thank you William and don't worry, I'll remember your advice," She said with a nod.

"Well, goodbye Joy Star," Zach said to the human as he and Diana pulled the family into a hug of their own. "I hope to see you again in the near future."

Diana was crying yet again at the goodbyes, for she hated to leave her friends. At this Joy and Bubble couldn't hold themselves together either and also made some sobs.

"Goodbye friends," Joy said.

"Goodbye Diana, Goodbye Zach," Bubble added.

The portal made a loud noise in the background, and TD called out, "Last call, everyone!"

Almost unwillingly, the two ponies released their friends and rushed into the portal, followed by all others who had followed them to this world. TD, Bill, and Red were the last to step through the portal.

"Goodbye friends!" Bill called out, "It was an honor meeting you all."

"Celestia!" Red shouted, "You can always count my organization, the Royal Fighters, among your allies!"

"Farewell, Equestria!" TD finished, "May your years in this world be long and prosperous!"

The Elements and family of Joy Star, including his mother and aunt, waved their hooves towards the portal while looking towards TD. TD then stepped through the portal with his friends and it closed up for the last time, never to open again for the rest of the night. All of them looked on as the portal closed in front of them. Then Joy looked towards the group along with his wife. They sighed and smiled.

"See you soon, my friend," Joy said aloud.

"C'mon my little ponies," Celestia stated, "We should be heading back to the palace now."

Joy, Bubble, and both of their foals nodded in response, and they followed her back inside the palace.

* * *

Joy and Bubble lay on a large bed. Joy was looking towards the roof while Bubble slept. Then Joy smiled and turned his head to his sleeping sweetheart, closed his eyes and drifting to sleep. He wasn't sure when he'd see his friends again or if he'd ever need to call upon them when he was in his time of need. But one thing he was sure about was this: that night was surely one of the most memorable nights of their lives.

Unknown to the couple, a human figure was watching the palace from a distance in the streets below. His image was encased in shadow for now, but he seemed to be around the same age as TD looked outwardly. A sigh left the figure and he looked out at the stars.

"The boy may be safe from Ornos now, but the Nameless One is still out there," the figure said. "I just hope TD can handle it. Because this will require him to use all three personalities to win the battle."

A bit of moonlight fell upon the figure, revealing a boy about eighteen years old. He was wearing a kind of fashionable outfit with a cape that held a particular symbol on it. The moonlight glanced off a pair of gauntlets he wore on his arms. One was a reddish-grey color, the other was a bright yellow or golden color. On both the gauntlets and the cape, a peculiar symbol could be seen: a disco ball surrounded by human figures and some others that seemed human-like, but with some animal characteristics. The figure lifted his hands and a sickly red glow came from his eyes. A portal appeared before him and he stepped on through it, stopping only long enough to say one final thought.

"Until the final battle, we'll keep watch over the boy for you TD."

The portal closed behind him, leaving the world of Equestria in a peaceful state for now. The future was bound to hold many surprises for them, but what TD had said before was true in the back of their minds.

Their adventures were just beginning...

* * *

 **I hope you guys enjoyed this series as much as I liked writing about it! Big thanks to _Admirer Boy_! Without him, there'd be no Joy Star, and therefor no story.**

 **Songs used (in order):**

 ** _Find the Music in You_ , from the MLP FiM series itself (Season Four specifically)**

 ** _The Greatest Show,_ from "The Greatest Showman"**

 _ **Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing,**_ **from "Sing" as performed by Tori Kelly**

 **(I'm not sure what the name of the musical with Joy and Bubble is called, but it's an edited version of a musical performed by comedian singer Johnny Awsum on Britain's Got Talent)**

 _ **Sunrise,**_ **by** **Norah Jhones**

 _ **A Friend For Life,**_ **from the ending credits of "Equestria Girls" (which I sadly don't like as much as the original series)**

 _ **Apples to the Core,**_ **from MLP FiM. (Also from Season Four)**


End file.
